


White Lights

by ReginaExMachina, Ressa



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-14
Updated: 2018-10-25
Packaged: 2018-12-29 21:13:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 42,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12093555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReginaExMachina/pseuds/ReginaExMachina, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ressa/pseuds/Ressa
Summary: Regina Mills is a renowned psychologist. Emma is a prostitute working at Amsterdam’s Red Light District. After their first night together, they come up with an arrangement, one that leads them to confront the truth about themselves, and each other. Completely AU.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Your comments, feedback and kudos are so welcome and appreciated. I hope you enjoy this. PS: We don't have a beta, so we apologize for any mistakes.

  


Regina found herself walking along the streets of Amsterdam, ending up at a place she never thought she would; the red light district. She looked along the window displays, some beautiful girls of all body types and ages, offering themselves for a bit of fun.

Perhaps she’d buy in.

She continued making her way along the seemingly endless displays, until her eyes found a honey blonde girl. Lovely, natural body, pretty eyes.

She went inside the door.

The girl pulled away from the wall she was leaning on and walked towards the woman, staying a step short from her, and she smiled, tilted her head, her honey blonde soft curls grazing her bare shoulder. Her face young, eyes green, and an expression that somehow looked out of place in such a neighborhood; fresh, as if still holding onto grasps of innocence.

And then it changed into the requirements of her trade.

“What can I do for you, beautiful?” She passed a hand down her own, black and red corset covered stomach, resting it just above her Venus mound.

“That’s just what I was going to ask you, pretty girl,” the brunette said as she looked around the room a bit, an air of superiority all about her.

“You can do anything you want for me,” the girl smiled again, tilting her head to the other side, and bit her lower lip. “You just need to ask.”

“I can do a lot for you, baby girl. What do you want, mh? And what will you do for it?”

The woman licked her lips.

The honey blonde’s eyes hooded as she took that final step, a hand over the woman’s chest, and green, sultry eyes traveled from that hand up to the woman’s beautiful face.

“I like it that you call me that,” the girl said, and she seemed a bit surprised by her own admission, but the mask was back on right away. “And tell me what you want from me, I’ll tell you in turn, if I’ll comply… but for someone as beautiful as you? I think I’d do just about anything.”

“Will you?” Regina jerked the girl against her by the waist, their hipbones clashing, their chests apart, save for the hand the young sex worker had on her chest, and she slipped her hand into her purse, withdrawing ten thousand euros in cash and flashed them for the girl.

“Let’s start with your name,” the woman smirked.

The girl eyed the money, clearly showing her surprise, and her eyes danced between it and the woman’s face with perhaps, a hint of suspicion.

“Rose,” she answered. “I’m Rose. How may I call you?”

Regina looked at the girl.

“Regina,” the woman said. “Rose is a pretty name, baby girl. Why don’t we go back to my hotel, mh? We’ll figure out the rest there.”

Rose was about to point out there was an extra fee for out of the zone jobs, but… the woman had offered quite a lot over that sum, and she nodded.

She craned her head, her hand traveling up to Regina’s neck, a thumb softly caressing her collarbone, the hollow of them, and she smiled.

“I’ll go with you, but… will it be just you and me?”

“Would you like to bring a friend?” The older brunette chuckled, head thrown slightly back.

“I was wondering if you were thinking about that,” Rose lowered her eyes, then looked at Regina again through her eyelashes. “The amount of money you offered is the kind of money people pay when…” she swallowed a bit. “They want something… special.”

“Aww, darling… what could be more special than you,” Regina pinned the girl down with those penetrating eyes and played with a lock of honey blonde hair, earning a candid smile.

“Okay, let me change and let someone know, and we’ll be on our way,” Rose stroke now Regina’s shoulder.

“Mmh… there’s a problem with that,” Regina hummed, “I don’t want to let you go.”

She tightened her arm around the girl.

Rose molded to her. “Alright, then we’ll leave right away,” she whispered, eyes hooding. “You’re my favorite kind of client…”

“Well don’t you know how to make a girl feel special,” Regina raised an eyebrow and released the girl. “Hurry up.”

Rose threw her a smile as she went to close the iron curtain of her display window and then produced a backpack and started dressing in jeans and a t-shirt over her corset and thong, then made up her hair in a high ponytail and complemented her attire with a pair of sneakers.

“I mean it,” she said as she tied her laces. “You are,” and then she got up, hanging her backpack from one shoulder as she reached for Regina’s hand. “Ready.”

Regina looked down at the girl’s hand and placed a hand at the small of the girl’s back instead, then up at her nape, guiding her out towards her car, unlocking it with a fingerprint as Rose followed meekly, and soon they were in the car, and the girl’s eyes went round.

This was not the first luxury car she had been in, but this one… it was beyond anything she had ever seen.

“Your car is beautiful,” she said, her fingers passing over the board as she admired all the lights and controls she had no idea what they were for.

Regina chuckled.

“Isn’t it?” The brunette drove off, turning off the music she had on, apparently something classical and heavy at the same time. “It’s a Tesla. Tell me, darling, what else do you do, besides your job?”

Rose took her attention away from the many buttons at the passenger door and looked at the woman.

“Oh, well, I’m studying to enter college. Where are you staying? Let me guess, the Amrath? The Chateau St. Gerlach?”

“Amrath,” Regina nodded, then glanced at the girl. “What are you doing so far away, darling, come closer, won’t you? Be nice and friendly...” the woman brushed her hair away from the side of her neck. “What do you want to study at college?”

Rose looked outside and after making sure there were no transit police cars, she undid her seat belt and scooted closer to Regina, a hand setting on her thigh and she started stroking it, her back curving and her breasts pressing against the woman’s arm as she caressed her neck with her nose.

“Psychology,” she said. “And I can be very nice and friendly…” her hand went higher, until she grazed the woman’s crotch over her pants, and she placed little kisses on her shoulder.

“You won’t crash us, will you?” She gave a little chuckle.

Regina set a hand over the girl’s between her legs and pulled it away from there gently.

“I won’t crash us, darling,” she said, and extended her neck for her. “You know, being a sex worker isn’t far from being a psychologist,” the woman chuckled.

“Because we must understand our clients particular needs for release, and motivations?” Rose stopped her kisses and looked at the woman, and her strokes on her leg became less bold, softer, slower.

“Well, yes, you must create a fantasy and in order to do that, you must change a person’s perception. See, you made a huge faux pas with me by telling me you like clients like me, and I don’t want to feel like a client on your book, dearest, just as I didn’t make you feel like a prostitute, except for… well, the cash, but I thought a bit of motivation would serve me,” she chuckled, “Additionally, you must compartmentalize the hell out of your job and the special needs of your clients after you release them, and that right there, what I just said, is psychology, in a nutshell.”

Rose blinked as she grasped the words, and pulled away, studying the woman. No. This Regina was definitely not like her usual clients.

“It was a moment of naked honesty, actually,” she said as she leaned against the door. “I do like you, though my…” she looked for a better word, “Usual patrons don’t want me to forget my place.”

She played with a thread bracelet at her wrist. “But for you? I think I’d like very much to forget it, and have a more natural encounter.”

“Is that so, darling?” Regina looked at the girl again, “Why is that? Because you feel that I understand your daily struggles? That I can see you don’t belong in front of a window displayed like a fast meal?”

Rose felt a twist in her chest. The woman was certainly making it hard for her to compartmentalize, indeed.

“Perhaps,” she nodded, and suddenly felt shy, the shell of her costume cracking a bit. Entitled jerks who just came and took what they needed were easier to deal with. She didn’t have to even talk, sometimes.

“Answers like that will not serve you, however, I believe we share the sentiment regarding an organic encounter, so… let us start over, shall we? Why don’t we start with your name?”

No. Don’t do it.

Don’t do it.

Don’t you dare to fucking do it.

It was Ruby’s voice in her head.

“Emma.”

I told you not to!

“Lovely name, baby girl,” Regina smiled, glancing at the girl again. “I’m still Regina.”

“Rose is my middle name,” Emma admitted. “But I use it because it helps me, as you say, to compartmentalize.”

“You must learn better methods, dear,” Regina raised an eyebrow, “When you’re a psychologist in front of your first patient, you must use your real name, it will do you well, however,” Regina placed a hand over her wrist and looked at her pointedly. “Don’t start now by giving your clients your real name. See? Now you’ve successfully gotten me away from my role as your customer. My middle name is Aleksandra, but my patients call me Dr. Mills.”

“What do you mean?” Emma frowned. She was good at complying, at fulfilling a role, at transforming into a little girl, into a sassy dominatrix, into an innocent teenager, into a shameless slut, but this woman.... She had no idea what she wanted from her.

“That compartmentalizing does not mean to pretend you’re someone else, it’s still you, darling, your experiences, just… locked somewhere in the back of your head, dormant. You must master that art, or any time anyone happens to call you by your middle name, perhaps ten years in the future, it will trigger your memories of working at the red light district. Make sense?”

Emma nodded, became pensive as the street lights lit her lap intermittently.

“But what do you mean I got you away from your role?” she looked at Regina with wide, worried eyes, wondering if this meant she would not complete for the rent that month.

“I mean that I no longer feel like just another customer,” the brunette smirked, as she saw the worry in the girl’s eyes. “Don’t you worry, darling, I’ll still pay you.”

“Do you mean…” she said, her tone insecure. “We can be as two women wanting to enjoy sex for the sake of it?”

“Yes,” Regina nodded, “If we get to the sex, now tell me, dear. What made you want to study psychology?”

Now that Emma was forcefully stripped out of her role, she felt rather shy, her nineteen years showing.

“Oh, I… well, I have always wanted to understand why people do the things they do, why they act in certain ways and why some things affect them so much that they just…” she shrugged. “Transform.”

Regina eyed the girl for several moments, and then she nodded, a moment later, driving into the hotel and got out of the car, then helped Emma out and let the valet take it to park as she guided the girl in, a hand at the small of her back.

Quietly, they made their way into an elevator that took them up to Regina’s suite and Emma’s lips parted, then she smiled.

“I’m not surprised you’re in the suite. I’ve been here a couple of times before, but never in a suite.”

Regina felt completely turned off by the comment so she took a breath and removed her jacket. That was what she got for not being able to simply objectify this poor girl.

“Get comfortable, dear,” Regina said as she stepped out of her high heels and made her way into the kitchen space of the suite.

Emma placed her backpack down and looked around, eyeing the gorgeous view of the city from the balcony, the reflections of the lights and the moon on the canals, the boats traversing its waters, and in that moment, she found Amsterdam a tad more beautiful. She wondered if Regina often had the privilege of such views. She supposed she did. She then got her cell phone and sent Ruby her location, then put it away again and kept looking at the city, the soft wind blowing away some loose hair.

A few moments later, she could hear the woman on the phone from the kitchen space, which was covered by an ornate wall, and heard the sound of typing, it sounded like a personal call. It lasted for a few minutes, and when it was over, she could still hear the sound of typing.

Emma removed her tee shirt to reveal back her corset, and waited, and waited, and when Regina didn’t appear, she put the tee shirt back on and went to her, finding her at the kitchen counter, glasses on, teeth digging into her lower lip as she studied something on her screen.

“Working?” She asked as she sat on a stool in front of her.

The woman looked up, as if surprised.

“Oh,” she nodded, then shook her head a bit and shut her laptop. “I’m sorry. Would you like something to drink? Why don’t you take that off,” Regina tugged on the girl’s t-shirt as she went to pour wine.

Emma nodded, and peeled off her t-shirt, and her fingers hesitated at her jeans, but at last, removed them as well, the corset making her waist look slim, her hips wide, her breasts plump, and the black net pantyhose held by garters, made her long, well-toned legs look longer.

“I’ll have whatever you’re having,” she said at last.

Regina placed a glass in front of the girl and sat back down on the stool, sipping her wine generously, as her eyes took sight of the girl fully.

“You look sad now, Emma,” Regina said. “Perhaps a bit bored.”

“Oh,” Emma played with her glass. “I’m not sad. I’m…” she frowned. “It’s been a while since this has happened to me, not that I’ve worked for long,” she chuckled a bit. “I want to please you, for some reason, beyond my job, but… you’re not like anyone I’ve ever met. I’m not sure if to simply be myself, or…” she shrugged, “Not. So far I was myself for a few minutes and you came to the kitchen to work.”

“I had to make a phone call, darling, and type out an e-mail,” Regina explained, her eyes set on the younger girl. “I will tell you exactly what I need, and make this easy on us both. I want attention, I want you to please me, yes, in whatever manner pleases you as well, but darling, don’t go right for it, alright? I can pay you to stay with me all night, or however long it takes. What do you want, mh? A flat? A car? Books?”

“Books?” Emma’s attention was perked. “You have psychology books? You must, right?” And then there was an excited smile on her face, half wondering what ‘it’ would be that would take however long to take.

“I do,” Regina nodded, standing up and beckoned the girl to follow her as she went to her suitcase and opened it, withdrawing from it a box, and from the box three books. She held them in one arm as she signaled the girl to come closer with a finger and hooded her eyes as she tapped a single digit against her favorite spot of her neck.

Emma blinked, a bit confused at the woman’s earlier words, and her new request, but she decided to stop thinking, she’d do as the woman pleased.

And her neck was long, and tantalizing. Emma had learned to remove all traces of actual sexual desire, but this woman…

She approached her timidly, her lower lip trapped between her teeth and standing a bit on her tip toes, nuzzled her nose against the spot, and then she placed a soft, sweet kiss there, pulling away to look at the woman’s face.

Regina wondered for a moment if she should have hired someone perhaps a bit older, but alas, here she was now. “Here you go, dear,” she gave the girl her books and Emma smiled wider, taking one of them and opening it, then turned it and her eyes widened.

“This is you,” she said, mouth agape. “You wrote this?”

“Mh-hm,” Regina nodded as she removed her hair from its hold, and glanced at the girl as she untucked her blouse from her pants and looked through her suitcase for something else to wear and Emma put the books down and went after Regina, standing behind her and embraced her from behind, starting to undo her buttons.

“You must be so good, if you write books,” she said, placing a kiss over the woman’s shoulder as soon as it was bare and Regina closed her eyes, relaxing against the girl. Yes, this had been a very wonderful idea. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been this intimate with someone.

“Do you like me, baby girl?” Regina asked, eyes still closed.

“Yeah…” Emma sighed out as she placed now little open-mouthed kisses over the woman’s shoulder, her neck, that spot the brunette had signaled, sucking on it softly as she finally removed her blouse, letting it fall to their feet.

“You smell so nice, like… like books and sandalwood, I love it.”

Regina opened her eyes and reached into her suitcase again, producing a small bottle of sandalwood essence and gave it to the girl, who took it, uncapping it, and she smelled it deeply, then dropped some of it over the woman’s other shoulder, returning the bottle to her, and she started caressing her, her fingers spreading the ethereal aroma.

“I think from now on, I’ll always think of you whenever I smell this,” she lowered one strap, kissed the red marks left by it, and Regina set the small bottle on top of Emma’s books, letting herself enjoy the girl’s attentions, until she turned to look at her and went to sit on an arm chair.

“Would you bring my wine, please, darling?”

Emma nodded and walked towards the glass, her strides long and slow, her hips, her almost bare butt in display for Regina’s benefit, and then returned, sitting on Regina’s lap and offering her the glass.

“Where are you from? Your accent sounds American.”

Regina slipped an arm around her waist and took the glass in the other, sipping it.

“American indeed, darling,” the brunette said, her fingers drawing patterns over Emma’s back as she fully rested back on the arm rest and Emma leaned against her touch, her other hand lowering the left strap, and kissed those marks as well, slow, studious kisses as she tasted the soft skin.

“And why are you here? In Amsterdam?” She asked as she looked at the woman’s face again, her fingers stroking her chest, the upper swell of her breasts over the woman’s black bra.

“I’m giving a lecture tomorrow and the day after,” Regina explained, finishing her wine as her fingers moved to Emma’s bare thighs, which she stroked now with soft fingers.

Emma raised that thigh, offering it, and she leaned in to trap Regina’s lower lip between hers, sucking lightly, then pulled away.

“What wine is this?” She asked, not having tried her own glass, then noticed the woman’s surprised face, and tilted her head with curiosity.

“...it’s uh, Cabernet Sauvignon,” the brunette explained. “Try it, I’ve finished mine, but there’s a bottle in the kitchen.”

Emma smiled, licked her lips, enjoying the after taste, and then sucked on Regina’s lips again, a bit deeper.

“But I like how it tastes from your lips,” she stroked the woman’s breasts with the back of her fingers.

Regina literally could feel how the girl wrapped her around her little finger.

“Do you, baby girl?” Regina gazed at her for a moment, eyes hooded as hell.

Emma nodded, smiled and stood up to retrieve her full glass, then returned to sit by Regina’s lap, curving against her, and offered the glass to her mouth, her own eyes darkened.

She had felt a strange form of relief when it seemed the woman would not desire to engage, and then an even stranger disappointment at it, but now? Emma wanted her, and she wanted Regina to want her.

The brunette took a generous sip from the glass, Emma could see the movement of her neck as she swallowed, removing the glass to find the woman’s full lips parted, stained with the crimson liquid, and Emma was prompt to kiss her again, deeply, her tongue swirling inside the woman’s mouth, tasting everywhere.

“The taste…” she said after several moments, her forehead rested against Regina’s as she stroked her nape. “It’s so strong, but in the end, it leaves something like a fresh feeling behind in the tongue. Is it the wine? Is it you?” she licked her lips, shifted her bare ass over the woman’s pants.

Regina wasn’t sure, because it had been so long since anyone had kissed her like that, so leisurely, with so much enjoyment, it made her melt.

“Mh?” She opened her eyes slightly, fingers coming up to unzip the girl’s corset, only a couple of centimeters. “May I see you?”

Emma nodded, feeling all of the sudden shy again, but she saw little sense in fighting it. She placed a hand over Regina’s, and encouraged her to lower her zipper with a light squeeze.

The brunette unzipped her slowly, and just as slowly removed the corset, eyes feasting on the girl.

“You are so beautiful… Natural, just as I thought you’d be, baby girl.”

Emma blushed, and felt self-conscious and desired. It was a very thrilling sensation.

She smiled, took Regina’s hand, and placed it over a naked breast, her heart beating hard against it. Her nipple hardened at the touch.

“Do you like me?” She asked.

“Oh yes…” Regina hummed. “So very much, Emma.” She whispered against the girl’s ear as she teased her nipple. “Put it close to my face,” she said as she dipped her fingertip in the wine.

A soft moan left Emma’s lips as she straddled the woman’s lap and placed her nipple just before her lips, a hand squeezing the brunette’s shoulder, the other letting its fingers bury in her black tresses, massaging her scalp.

“I like you too, so much,” she looked down, her tone whispery. “You’re the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.”

Regina smiled for the girl as she rubbed her wine soaked fingertip at her nipple, then pulled it into her mouth and sucked it, her tongue playing little tricks as she dipped her full finger into the wine again blindly and pressed the digit against Emma’s lower lip.

The girl moaned again, closed her eyes, cradling Regina’s head closer to her breasts as her body arched and she felt herself becoming wet, so wet for the woman.

“Regina…” she breathed out the name as she pressed harder against her, her tongue tasting the wine.

Regina’s eyes were on her mouth at once, her lips sucking, and then she released the nipple.

“Kiss me again, pretty girl,” she licked her lips.

Emma nodded vehemently, her lips parted as she lowered her body, sitting over Regina and, grabbing her face between both hands, kissed her deeply, hungrily and yet soft, as if she were trying to discover all the secret tastes that Regina’s lips had to offer.

“I want you so much,” she hummed, then kissed her again, her hips rubbing against Regina’s legs, and Regina easily got up, picking the girl up with her and brought her to the bed, sitting with her on top.

“I usually like to be on top, you know, but I think I like this,” she licked her lips. “You know, it’s been a very long time for me…”

Emma looked at her with a soft gaze, her fingers tracing the woman’s eyebrows, the bridge of her nose, the perfect outline of her lips.

“Then I’ll be the more sweeter,” she smiled and retook those lips as she finally unclasped Regina’s bra, pulling it from between their bodies, and releases a pleased sigh when their skins came together, their breasts squeezing; it was exquisite; the woman's skin, soft and cool, that aroma of books reaching Emma's nose, and she took it in.

Regina closed her eyes and her fingers slipped down the girl’s back, over her thighs, and unclasped her garters. “Take off the fishnets, darling…” Regina didn’t like them, she thought they made the girl look cheap.

Emma nodded, placing another kiss on the woman’s mouth and knelt, her gaze passing over her now naked breasts, her creamy nipples, the perfect curvature of those swells, and she thought they were beautiful.

She rolled down the fishnets, one at the time, then, holding onto Regina’s shoulder, she arched backwards, her breasts prominent for the brunette, and pulled one, then the other, and at last sat on the woman’s lap, dressed now only in her black thong.

“Better?” She asked with a little smile as her fingers danced over Regina’s chest, over her upper breasts, the sides of them.

Regina gazed at Emma’s legs, gently passed her fingers over her thighs, down, lower, over her calves.

“You have beautiful, shapely legs…” the woman said softly, her voice a little strained.

“I run every morning,” Emma said, and she was liking this, to share these tidbits of her. As a general rule she avoiding such things, and shifter over the brunette’s lap, kissing her neck, her hands stroking her back, her sides, her thumbs stroking the underside of her breasts.

“I can tell…” the woman husked and craned her neck for the girl, laid back on the bed. “I do yoga, pretend it’s a workout,” the woman snorted softly.

Emma covered the woman’s body with hers, their breasts squeezing together, and she kissed her deeply, stroked her hair and she rubbed herself against her, enjoying the contact. She hadn’t lied, not even a little. Regina was the kind of person she preferred to work with, the kind she almost never got; with a je ne sais quois. And without a penis.

“I can still taste the wine,” she breathed out and nibbled on those lips, bit her chin, kissed her jaw and then sucked on that spot behind her ear she knew the woman favored.

Regina moaned softly, quietly, meekly, almost as if ashamed to make the sound and tangled a hand in the girl’s hair, pulling it out of it’s hold, her other hand went down her spine, her fingers careful, pressing the muscles and skin until it reached her ass and she squeezed it carefully.

“You’re very soft…” Regina voiced, her tone still a bit strained.

Emma sucked on that spot, then pressed her forehead against Regina’s, rubbing their noses together and passed a hand behind her to cover the woman’s, encouraging the touch.

“You’re so very soft too, so beautiful, I love your eyes.”

“Do you, darling?” Regina smiled gently, her eyes, though, were suddenly sad, and she stroked her hair some more, slipped her hand up to her back, squeezed the skin there.

The girl suddenly had the feeling Regina didn’t want sex, so she simply lay on top of her, resting her head on the woman’s chest, slipping her arms under her, hugging her and took a deep breath.

“Yes, I do.”

Regina squeezed the girl in her arms and continued stroking her hair and Emma let her, remaining like that for some time.

“Are you tired, Regina? You sound tired. Would you like me to rub your back?”

“I’m alright,” Regina said quietly, “Did you change your mind, darling? Were you not liking how I touched you?”

Emma pulled away to look at the woman in the eyes.

“I did, but there was something in your eyes, you didn’t seem aroused, you seemed sad. How could I keep going when you looked like that?”

“I’m sorry, baby girl,” Regina gave the girl an apologetic smile. “It’s been a while…”

Emma sat up over the woman and stroke her stomach.

“Let me take care of you.”

“Alright…” the woman gave a soft, single nod as she looked up at the younger girl, stroked her thighs gently, cupped her knees and Emma descended over her again, kissing her, then let her mouth travel down her chin, which she nibbled playfully as her hands traveled down until they finally cupped those breasts, squeezing them, cupping them with attentive touches until Emma’s lips replaced a hand around a nipple, sucking on it, letting her tongue swirl around the bundle as her other hand started working on the woman’s pants until they were undone.

Regina closed her eyes, urged the girl’s mouth with a gentle shoulder squeeze and a bite of her own lower lip.

Emma opened her mouth wider, sucking in Regina’s breast in and worked on it, sucking vehemently, as if she wanted to extract honey from those nipples as she slid a hand between the woman’s legs, under her pants and over her underwear, stroking her steadily with just the perfect pressure, and she moaned when she found wetness there.

She felt uncharacteristically pleased with herself.

“You’re liking this, aren’t you?” She smiled as she released the breast and then trapped the other, sucking just as deeply, her free hand now caressing the other, still wet one.

“Yes,” Regina moaned softly, spreading her legs more for the girl, “So much, Emma…”

Emma smiled, released the breast with a loud pop and then hooked her fingers from Regina’s pants and she sat up to remove them slowly, very slowly, until they were gone.

“Can I see you? Can I take these off?” she stroked Regina between the legs, her voice soft and sweet.

Regina nodded softly, her eyes focused on the girl, as she willed herself not to think.

Emma removed Regina’s heels, then the underwear softly, enjoying how it stuck to the woman’s sex with all that moisture, and then she placed her hands under her knees, raising them, spreading her, then she blew over her smooth sex, her spread lips.

“I’m going to eat you out, beautiful,” Emma said sweetly as she caressed the woman’s inner thighs.

Regina closed her eyes, licked her lips and shifted a bit, Gods, it had been so long…

Emma didn’t receive any indication, and she felt a bit apprehensive, so her first lick was small, timid, the tip of her tongue tasting from entrance to clit, just a fickle, her hands still delivering caresses on Regina’s thighs.

Regina let out a soft moan, clasped the sheets in her hands, her body trembling with anticipation and Emma felt encouraged, her second lick being more daring, her tongue pressing on the woman’s clit and then slithering down to enter her, in and out, one hand stroking her thigh, the other going for a breast, which she playfully squeezed.

Regina’s back arched and she moaned loudly.

“Oh God,” this time the woman’s voice was loud and clear and potent and Emma’s smile spread over her flesh.

“You like this, don’t you? You’re so sensual…” the girl said and then returned to the brunette’s clit, sucking on it, letting her tongue caress it as she introduced two fingers, slowly, trying, and then started a steady rhythm, one that spread Regina more each time, and it wasn’t long before Regina was panting, moaning, writhing, and coming for the girl.

Emma kissed her flesh, placed a peck over Regina’s clit, over her entrance once she withdrew her fingers, and then on her thighs, climbing up with more kisses up her stomach, over her breasts, and at last she lay next to Regina, her head supported by a hand as the other one stroke the woman’s sex, as if soothing it after her orgasm.

“You came so good, beautiful,” she smiled.

Regina forced her breathing to calm and she gave the girl a smile, a lazy one. “I did…” she reached up and brushed a strand of hair behind the girl’s ear.

“Come here, pretty girl, ride my fingers, mh? Let me watch you bounce…” she husked.

Emma seemed taken by surprise, and blinked a bit.

“Do you want to make me come?” She asked as she sat up, head tilted, and an almost mystified smile on her lips.

“Yes, and I want to watch you… I like to watch you, how pretty you are, beautiful,” Regina smiled, her fingers moved to the girl’s breasts, cupping them carefully, softly and Emma placed a hand over Regina’s, and nodded.

She knelt up and lowered her underwear, removing it completely, then straddled the woman, her hand still over hers, as if she didn’t want the contact to be lost.

“Show me your fingers, lovely,” she asked, biting her lips.

Regina removed a hand from Emma’s breast, brought it to her lips and licked middle and index, soaking them in her saliva and then showed them to the girl, watching her through dark hooded eyes, and the girl took her wrist, leading it to her entrance, teasing herself with them.

“Want to see my face as I take you in?” she asked, encouraging Regina to stroke her breast.

“Oh yes,” Regina sat up, lifting her knees a bit to fit the girl at a good angle, Emma’s thighs over her own, her face now closer to the girl’s. “Let me see you, pretty girl…” she said as she squeezed a breast, moistened her lips and leaned in to pass her tongue over a nipple, making the honey blonde shudder, arch her back, and just a second later, descend over Regina’s straightened fingers with eyes closed, mouth agape, a soft gasp leaving her.

“There you are,” she moaned. “Inside me…”

Regina groaned, swiped her thumb over the girl’s clit.

“Ride me, baby girl,” the woman husked, eyes on the girl.

“Hold my back?” Emma asked, hands at Regina’s shoulders and she raised her hips once, then descended again, moaning at the feeling.

Regina slipped her hand around the girl’s back, placing it at the small of it and hooked her fingers, twisting them a bit, pressed her clit, lowered her mouth to the girl’s breasts, kissing one nipple, then the other, and then sucked one, drenched it in saliva and bites, enjoying it as if it’d be the last time she’d do it.

Emma shuddered, squirmed and started thrusting, descending over Regina’s fingers once and again, her free breast bouncing indeed.

“That- that feels so good,” she gasped, her fingers claw-like on the brunette’s shoulders.

Regina groaned, flicked her tongue against the bouncing breast now, catching it in her mouth and sucked on it now with more confidence, nibbled it, sucked it, and then she secured the girl in her arm and pounced on her, tackling her down on the bed, legs spread wide by her own thighs and kept thrusting, her free hand clasping her ass, mouth busied on those beautiful young breasts.

“R-Regina…” Emma contorted, prey of pleasure, so much pleasure. She had never enjoyed sex this much, never. She had never been more eager to be taken and subdued. “I’m going to- oh god…” she felt her inner muscles starting to tighten, and she smiled, her hands at the woman’s hair, pulling at it.

Regina scissored her fingers, hooked them, and pressed the girl’s spot with two nails, tugged on a nipple between her teeth as she flicked her tongue against it. “Come for me, baby girl…”

“Ah!” And oh, she did, her body squirming and shaking under Regina, and Emma welcomed spasm after spasm of sheer pleasure, her vision darkening a bit and she held onto the woman for her dear life, so, so tightly as her orgasm took her, and when it faded away, she didn’t want to let go. She didn’t.

And she didn’t have to, because Regina began to thrust again, her mouth hungry now over her body, licking, sucking, placing bites on every bit of skin her mouth could reach, seeking every spot on the girl’s body that she could stimulate and the girl released another moan, another gasp as a new orgasm came over her.

“Oh god oh god oh god Regina,” she prayed as her inner muscles once again spasmed around the woman’s fingers.

And then there was Regina’s mouth at her pussy, tongue tasting every fold, hands clasping her ass, keeping her spread with both thumbs as she slid her tongue deep inside her, the tip flicking at her spot again, nose rubbing her clit.

Emma grabbed the woman’s hair, pulled at it with desperation. What was this? Who was this woman? How could she make her feel like this?

And to her absolute surprise, she came again, another wave of hot cum bathing Regina’s mouth and the girl came undone, her vision darkening for real, head spinning, and for a moment she swore she knew what eternity felt like, and she suddenly found herself on her stomach, the woman’s arm across her chest, her other hand pulling up her hips and then she took her from behind, though her arm was draped over her stomach, her fingers deep inside her again, thrusting hard, rocking her body.

“Mmh,” she heard the woman hum, felt her weight removed from her though the woman kept thrusting, the arm gone from across her chest. “I’m going to fuck you with my big, hard, rubber cock, Emma. Any objections?” Regina asked, replacing her fingers with the head of said cock at the girl’s entrance.

Her response came with Emma raising her hips higher, her hands clenching the sheets.

“Please… do what you want with me… please,” Emma moaned.

And yet, when the girl was expecting a deep, hard, swift thrust, she felt the cock slip inside her slowly, so, so fucking slowly, filling her, the woman’s arm wrapped around her breasts, holding them possessively, tightly, her other arm over her navel, two fingers pinching at her clit over and over.

“Oh… fuck…” Emma moaned out, her insides throbbing so deliciously. “It’s so big… I’m so full… Y-you like it, don’t you? Filling me up like this?”

“Mhh,” she felt the woman’s breath at her ear, and then she removed the cock just as slowly, slipping it back inside her just as slowly, and then again, and the next time, she slipped it in fast and hard and then she was relentless. Her fingers rubbing at her clit incessantly.

“Regina,” Emma said through gritted teeth. “Oh god-I-can’t-believe-this!” she grunted and then came again, trembling under the woman’s body.

Regina smiled gently, cradled the girl tighter against her by her breasts and pelvic bone and when she felt the girl had regained her breath, began thrusting in again, and it was the longest, most pleasant night in Emma’s life, because Regina had transformed from a shifting woman into this pure energy Emma couldn’t begin to describe.

And she had her in so many ways, so many times, that at a point Emma had no idea if time still existed, or the universe had reduced to the wet sounds, the clashes of their bodies, the woman’s fingers, her mouth, her tongue, that damned strapless dildo of hers which became so intimate with Emma’s depths, and at last, at some point, the girl fell asleep -or passed out-, she was sure, while Regina was still fucking her.

Regina looked at the girl carefully, stopped her thrusting and removed herself from inside her and got rid of the strapless cock, then gently picked her up and placed her properly on the now unmade bed and covered her up, making sure she was comfortable, then she got out of bed, dildo in hand to wash it and took herself into the bathroom, dropping the dildo in warm water in the sink and ran a shower.

She got underneath the warm stream and sobbed silently for a while, washed her body, her hair, and eventually, once she had hit her chest with a fist, willing her heart to still, she made her way back to bed, where she fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regina makes Emma an offer she can't refuse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all your thoughtful comments and feedback. ♥

     Emma cracked and eye open and moaned softly, her body sore, all of it, and she turned to see Regina sleeping by her side, out like a light.

She looked at the balcony and guessed it was about six in the morning, and realized she hadn’t called Ruby to let her know she would not go home to sleep.

Carefully, she slipped out of bed and looked for her phone, then dialed Ruby as she walked to the balcony on the antechamber.

“Hello,” the response came as a yawn.

“Hey dork,” Emma’s voice was a whisper. “Guess where I am.”

A sort of groan came from Ruby’s side. “Euro-Disney?”

“In the biggest suite at the Amrath,” Emma said, sitting on a couch, and… got up right away. She  _ was _ sore.

“Oh yeah?” Ruby said excitedly now. “How much are you getting paid? And how come you didn’t invite me?” She whined.

“I’m actually not sure,” Emma frowned. “I didn’t know I’d spend the night, and, this woman, she’s… special, I mean,” she tried to describe Regina. “She was giving me all kinds of mixed signals. I had no idea how to treat her, but after I made her come, damn, she transformed.”

“Oh yeah? Is she there? Is she asleep? Send me a picture,” Ruby quipped.

Emma looked at the bedroom, and shook her head.

“No, I don’t think so, like I said, she’s special. Something must have happened to her. And damn it, Ruby, she like, made me come… I don’t know, I lost count, maybe ten times? And she fucked me even more times. If I told you fifteen, I wouldn’t be making it up.”

“Hoooly fuck,” Ruby said, mouth agape. “Honey, you better make her pay you well, in more than orgasms and dehydration, gosh! Lucky you! Meanwhile I was in the back of a car most of the night fucking a guy on viagra,” Ruby whined again. “Come onnn, send a picture.”

“I already have a picture of her, I’ll show you when I come home,” Emma said, eyeing her book. “And I’m sorry, I hate,  _ haaaate _ men on viagra. As if it was such a feat to keep your junk erect,” she sighed. “Want to know the strangest thing?”

“Yes, tell me,” Ruby said eagerly.

“She herself came only once. Once in the entire night, when I ate her out, and then it was all…” she frowned. It was such a strange thing to say. “It was all about me.”

“Wow… that’s… yeah, that is strange… Emma, babe… when are you coming home?” Ruby asked.

“Not sure?” She both asked and answered. “She’s still asleep. I have to wait. But hey, good news, I’m sure I already got enough for the rent and services this month, perhaps we can even go and get us a new fridge!”

“Really? Oh my god, I love you!” Ruby grinned.

“I love you too,” Emma chuckled. “And I think I’ll take a couple of days off, I’m slightly sore.”

The truth was that Emma would surely need time to get this woman’s presence out of her system. If she considered her job a duty, now it would be more, because every new touch wouldn’t be Regina’s; skilled, knowing, bringer of the utmost pleasure.

“Well, if you got the rent and services, maybe we should both take a couple of days off, I’m pretty tired,” she groaned. “Alright, go wake up your fancy sex Goddess and call me if you need anything, alright?”

“Sure, take care lovely, can you make sure Gouda has food?”

“Yeah, of course, you know that cat’s gonna get fatter than the both of us combined,” the other girl chuckled. “See you, sweetie.”

“Bye,” Emma hung up, charged her phone and then returned to bed, laying on her side and covering her naked body again as she looked at Regina’s face and she decided it was too early to awake her.

Instead, Emma took her time to admire her, her shapely black eyebrows, her heavy eyelids, her long eyelashes, that perfectly straight nose of hers, and those pouty lips along with their ghost touches that Emma still could feel.

She hadn’t dared to tell Ruby that she had given the woman her real name, or that this woman had given Emma her most enjoyable orgasm- orgasms ever, and that Emma had not been Rose during the whole night, it had been her,  _ her her _ , and she had never dealt with a client in her own skin.

It wasn’t long before Regina stirred, opening her eyes and sat up, stretching in some sort of sitting yoga pose, arms extending, as well as her back, and legs.

Emma observed her, curious, and kept silent.

It seemed the woman was still half asleep, because she hadn’t seen Emma and didn’t seem to remember she was there. Emma watched as Regina sat up, her back to her, and ran her fingers through the luscious, dark long waves, and then she got up and made her way to the kitchen after grabbing her robe, slipping it on on the way.

Emma frowned, then got up as well and followed the woman.

“Morning,” she said timidly as she picked up her discarded tee-shirt and put it on, nothing else.

“Oh,” Regina turned around, looking at the girl and smiled. “Good morning, darling. I’m so sorry… I-” she made an awkward expression. “Sorry… hi.”

“You forgot I was here?” Emma shrugged, smiled again. “It’s okay. You looked really relaxed with that yoga thing. I didn’t want to interrupt.”

Regina gave the girl a little apologetic smile.

“W-would you like coffee? Tea?” The woman offered. “Breakfast?”

“I’m hungry,” Emma played with the hem of her tee, then smiled. “And, coffee? Please?”

“Alright,” Regina smiled, turning her eyes to Emma and looked at her fully. “Oh, take that off, darling, it must be so uncomfortable…” Regina returned to the bedroom and after looking through her suitcase, she returned with a black silk robe and gave it to the girl. “This should fit you, pretty girl,” she smiled as she began to cook breakfast while the coffee was made.

Emma touched the fabric and after removing her tee-shirt, put it on. It smelled of the woman and she found she was hugging herself, hugging that essence, and she frowned. She should stop acting like this.

“What are we having?” She said at last and, carefully, took a seat.

“Omelets? I think you could do with some protein and calories after last night,” Regina smiled apologetically again. “I must have hurt you, I’m so sorry… why don’t you lay down, mh? I’ll bring you breakfast and your coffee and maybe we can go buy you something to wear, what do you think, baby girl?”

Was this a dream?

“R-really?” the girl’s green eyes were wide.

“Sure,” Regina smiled, “We’ll go shopping, I mean,” the woman frowned softly, “Unless you need to go already… wait here, let me bring you your money… h-how much is it?”

“No!” Emma said a little too fast. “I mean… no, I don’t have to go yet and…” she played with the tie of the robe. “I thought you said you wanted me to stay…” she tried to remember the exact words. “For however long it takes?”

Regina smiled at the girl and nodded, busying herself with breakfast, and soon they were both eating quietly, Regina looking through a small bag that had been on the counter and gave Emma some medication.

“Here, lovely, take these, they’ll help…” she said as she sipped her coffee.

Emma read the label and nodded, taking one with her coffee.

“Don’t feel bad, it was a very, very nice night for me. The soreness?” she shrugged. “I’ve had worse, and no one has ever been so…” she smiled, “Preoccupied to make sure I was enjoying myself, and oh, you really did,” a bigger smile. “You made me feel things I had never felt before. I don’t even know how you did it.”

Regina smiled warmly at the girl and continued eating quietly for a while.

“Couldn’t you get a different job?” Regina suddenly asked, looking at the girl. “Something more fitting to your personality?”

Emma’s lips twisted and she put down her fork.

“It was the only thing I could do in so little time. See, when I turned eighteen, I had to leave foster care, and… well…” she shrugged. “I really didn’t have many skills, and the only other place I could go was not an option either, because my friend Ruby, her grandma asked her to leave the house as well, so… we had an offering, from a gentleman,” she gave a little chuckle. “American too, and it paid well. We got an apartment after it, and managed to get beds and a table and a couple of chairs, and food for my cat,” she then gave the woman a more cheerful tone. “But I’m working on it.”

“I see,” Regina nodded, eyes on Emma, “You should feel very proud of yourself, darling, working for what you want. Do you have more furniture now? What do you need?”

“Oh yes, we have two couches and lamps and a coffee table, and a coffee maker!” Emma seemed particularly proud of that last fact. “And what I need, I don’t know, to pay the rent on time, to have a full pantry, to save a bit so I can stop working every day and I can go to school. But I’ll get there,” she then ate with energy, as if by eating the omelet she got closer to those goals indeed.

“I see,” the brunette nodded absently again, eating quietly for a while, and Emma decided not to say any more. “How much do you need every month, you know, for all of that?”

Emma’s eyes went to the ceiling as she made some calculations, and chewed on her lip.

“About five thousand Euros, I think, for me, and for Ruby. Ruby, my friend.”

“I could give you more than that…” Regina said quietly, looking at her food as she ate quietly. “I could give you twice that…”

Emma lowered her fork, and tilted her head as she blinked, surprised.

“If I…?” She asked, and she felt apprehension at making the question, but this seemed too good to be true, and she  _ was _ a sex worker.

“I come here about twice a month for business… sometimes more… if… if you’ll just… see me, when I’m here, I’ll get you a nice apartment, all the furniture you want, and… I can help you get into whatever university you want…” Regina nearly mumbled. “I wouldn’t expect sex, you know, just some company when I’m here…”

“And would you expect me to cease seeing other clients?” Emma asked. She had heard of girls -and boys- who had ended up as exclusives for certain people in the highest circles. It didn’t sound bad, not at all. She would gladly never take another dick in her life.

“Yeah…” Regina had another bite. “If you felt comfortable with that, of course… you  _ could _ , but I’d give you anything you wanted…”

Emma didn’t see it coming, didn’t realize when her arms went around the woman, hugging her tightly.

“Oh, I would, I’d feel _ so _ comfortable!” She mumbled against Regina’s neck. “I hate working for men!”

Regina smiled warmly and hugged the girl back with an arm, sipped her coffee with the other.

“Okay, darling,” the woman’s tone was soft, held a smile. “Why don’t you find an apartment? Whichever one you want, mh?”

Emma nodded, then pulled away and her face was practically shining.

“I don’t know how to thank you, I- I- I don’t know what to say. You’re like- like an angel, like a savior, or- a Robin Hood, except you don’t steal, but you- I’m babbling,” Emma laughed, a hand over her mouth.

“I like how you smile, pretty girl,” Regina chuckled, her eyes warming up. “Pick something at a nice end of town, please, mh? I don’t like driving through the east side.”

Emma nodded, her smile broad, and she hugged Regina again, then kissed her cheek, her lips and pressed her forehead against hers, like last night, eyes closed, hands entwined at the brunette’s nape.

“I’ll pick the best apartment so you’re happy and comfortable when you visit, and I’ll make you so happy, and I like your touch, so I’d be more than willing to be with you. Can I confess something?”

“Of course,” Regina nodded, an arm around the girl’s waist.

“I’m sorry I’m so silly,  _ I’m just nineteen _ , but I thought I knew what an orgasm was, but I didn’t, you just taught me.”

Regina smiled gently. “Good… so now you know,” the woman kissed the girl’s lips for some moments, then pulled back slightly. “Make us an appointment with a real estate agent while I get dressed, won’t you?”

Emma nodded and she got out of bed and went for her phone.

She knew no one, but let google guide her and soon she had one on the line.

“At what time is it better for you?” She asked Regina as she covered the speaker. “I know you have like, a lecture.”

“Any time until three, please,” Regina said as she buttoned up her blouse.

And so Emma got them their appointment at eleven in the morning and hung up.

“I’ll take a quick shower,” she said and shed off the robe, tiptoeing into the bathroom, a piece of paper on the sink catching her eyes, it was small, and as she inspected it more closely, found it was a photo that had been sitting face down.

It was Regina, hugging a blonde woman; the psychologist looked younger, and her face worlds more relaxed, a huge grin adorning both women’s faces and Emma stared at it for a few seconds, wondering who she was. Perhaps an ex-girlfriend, perhaps a frien- no, that was not how one hugged friends.

Perhaps it was Regina’s wife. Maybe that’s why she wanted Emma. To have a… safe adventure away from home?

Something twisted inside Emma’s chest, but the girl refused to give it a second thought. She placed the picture where she found it and took her shower, then made her way outside and got dressed. Her face, now clean of make up, made her look her age.

“Ready,” she went to Regina.

“Oh, wonderful,” Regina smiled, grabbing her purse and a larger leather bag with her computer and some files.

“Should I take my backpack with me?” Emma asked, attempting to hide her fidgeting fingers.

“I don’t see why you’d need it, I mean, bring your identifications,” Regina looked at the girl, “They’ll want them when we buy your place.”

“Buy?” Emma’s mouth fell agape. “O-okay,” she said, and then joined Regina at the door, and they made their way out of the hotel and into Regina’s car, driving to the end of town where the realtor would meet them.

“We’ll need to go to the bank as well,” the brunette said, “Perhaps tomorrow.”

“Sure,” Emma said. “Anything you need, hey, is it okay if Ruby lives with me?”

Emma watched with worry as Regina pressed her lips together in the slightest gesture.

“Is she your partner?”

“No,” Emma chuckled. “We’ve been best friends since we were seven. We’ve only survived because we’ve never let the other fall.”

Regina remained silent for a while.

“If- if it’s not okay, just tell me,” Emma lowered her eyes; she couldn’t see herself leaving Ruby behind.

“I’m not a- a people person, darling. I’d… I’d feel awkward, having another person there when I come visit…”

“And what if she weren’t there at all when you come?” Emma offered, seeing a light.

“You know…” Regina said after a while, “It’s alright, you’ll live there, I could just take you out for meals or something like that when I’m here.”

“Really?” Emma grinned, a huge weight off her chest. Yet, she would tell Ruby about the special accommodations.

“Yes, of course,” Regina nodded softly and Emma looked at the front, smiling, and then it occurred to her that perhaps Regina needed as much discretion as possible. Perhaps because of the woman in the photo; her girlfriend, or wife.

“Hm, Regina, I found a picture in the bathroom, with a very pretty blonde in it. Who is she?”

“Don’t worry about her, darling…” Regina said feebly.

“Okay,” Emma said and self-confirmed her suspicions as she looked at the window. She should keep quiet about the subject. Regina was obviously a private person.

“Is she your wife?”

_ Damn it! _

“Yes,” Regina said, then after a moment. “Well… she  _ was _ ,” the brunette offered.

“What happened?” Emma frowned.

“She left me… about five years ago,” the brunette explained, eyes ahead as she drove.

Emma nodded, looked down.

“I’m sorry. Would you like us to talk about something else?”

“If you prefer,” Regina gave the girl a kind smile.

“I just don’t want to make you sad, and you got really sad, your eyes,” Emma pointed at her own. “They’re so expressive.”

“That’s what she used to say,” Regina smiled painfully.

“Well, it’s true,” Emma said softly and stayed quiet for a few moments, then asked, “Why did she leave?”

“It got impossible to control her diabetes,” the brunette explained, “It just…” she shook her head, “I took the best care of her that I could for a couple of years, but… in the end, her body gave out on us…”

“Oh,” Emma looked at her folded hands on her lap. “I’m really sorry. She was so beautiful, her smile, it looks almost roguish in the picture.”

“Oh, she was rogue,” Regina smiled, blinked away a tear and wiped it away from her cheek. “And brilliant. Quick-witted, sarcastic, and so, so sweet…” the brunette sniffed softly, reached into the glove compartment for a tissue and dabbed at her face. “Honest, and bold, and… yes, beautiful. She was a writer, you know.”

“Oh, wow, like you. And what kind of things did she write?” Emma wasn’t sure if she should keep asking, she didn’t want Regina to cry, but the woman seemed to need it.

“Historical novels,” Regina explained, “Articles, sometimes poetry, whatever she felt like, but she was more famous for her historical novels. I’ve never seen anyone more dedicated to their research.”

“She sounded like an amazing woman, really. Perfect,” the girl said and looked to the passing canals.

“Oh, she was far from perfect, darling. She was so flawed, just like we all are, but she made me very happy for ten years.”

Emma turned to her again and smiled a little smile.

“That’s really nice. At least you had each other. I’m sure some people go through life and they never find love.”

“You’re right about that,” Regina nodded and discarded her tissue, slipped her glasses back on and her smile warmed up somewhat. “You know, you were my first, since her…”

Emma raised her eyebrows. “Really? Oh… I- I don’t know what to say. I hope it was good-” Emma then gave a little chuckle. “No wonder you were so… passionate.”  _ Engulfing, absorbing, dominant. _

“I’ve been very lonely, darling. I used to be a very passionate woman,” Regina explained. “And yes, it was very good...”

Emma placed a hand on the woman’s arm, minding her driving.

“You  _ are _ very passionate. I can still feel you.”

“I missed feeling wanted,” Regina gave a lopsided smile.

“I had never wanted someone like I wanted you,” Emma confessed. “Please believe me, it’s not a phrase. I wanted you.”

“I know, baby girl,” Regina chuckled, “Trust me, I know.”

“How?” Emma smiled, the gloomy moment fading away, and she turned her body towards Regina, like a sunflower to the sun.

“You can fake a lot of things, but the way your body trembles with arousal, how your navel quivers and spasms with wanton,” the woman took a deep breath in, let it out slowly, licked her lips. “You can’t fake that…”

Emma was looking at the woman with a mixture of admiration and lust.

“You’re so beautiful,” she sighed out, having to conform with that since she didn’t believe there were words to describe how this woman made her feel in just a few hours of having known her.

“Come a little closer and tell me to my ear, pretty girl,” Regina smirked softly and Emma giggled softly, getting closer indeed after releasing her seat belt and she whispered into the woman’s ear her body pressed against hers.

“You, Regina, are so, so beautiful, you make me want to give myself to you, and I had never felt it, not so… willingly… you make me want you, your touch, your kisses… it was just one night and you showed me what it was to want to be taken…” she kissed Regina’s ear, bit her earlobe, licked her neck.

Regina shivered, tightened her hand on the steering wheel and placed her free hand at the back of Emma’s head, craning her neck to expose more of it.

“You’re such a good, good girl, darling…” Regina smiled sensually.

Emma closed her eyes. “Just for you…” she kissed the length of her neck, then placed soft bites on her shoulder.

“Mmm… that feels good, baby girl,” Regina husked. “I like it when you are like this with me…”

“How is that?” A hand rested on Regina’s chest, stroking it as Emma now went to that spot Regina had touched behind her ear, and licked it, sucked it, nibbled it, and the woman moaned.

“Sweet… attentive…” the brunette husked, stroking the girl’s hair, tugging it softly.

“You made it happen,” Emma half wondered if they should pull over at risk of falling into a canal. “Yesterday, I still don’t know how you did it… you made me be me, when I had you, when you had me. I’m never me… not in those moments.” She passed her hand over a breast, then again, feeling its nipple harden, and she let her thumb caress it.

“It’s what I do, beautiful,” Regina moaned, again, eyes hooding but she continued driving. “And I think we both truly wanted an organic experience, and look, we were a good match. Now I’ll take care of you, mh?”

Emma nodded, cupped a breast, squeezed it softly, tasting, and placed little kisses wherever she could reach, on the woman’s neck, her jaw, her shoulder, her ear.

“I’ll take care of you too, I’ll always be so sweet to you, I promise, I’ll always let you have me. I’m yours.”

Regina smiled warmly, licked her lips.

“I like that,” the brunette pulled over when the GPS indicated they had arrived, they were early. “Put your hand inside my blouse, touch me…”

“Yes…” Emma licked her lips and to her surprise, the windows started darkening, but she was in no mood to find out about the marvels of Regina’s car. She simply undid Regina’s buttons and spread her blouse open, her hand cupping a covered breast, weighing it, squeezing it, and then she slid her hand under the woman’s bra.

“Oh you’re so soft, your breasts are just the perfect size, the perfect weight.”

Regina closed her eyes, tilted her head back against the seat and licked her lips.

“Push your seat back, please?” Emma asked as she pushed up the garment, freeing both breasts and Regina did so, laying back for the girl.

Emma mouth went to her breasts at once, sucking on one with utmost dedication, sucking on it and then she went daring, sucking, and sucking, and sucking in a single spot as her hand stroke the other one, then she released the skin and gave Regina an impish smile.

“I left you a nice memento,” she then started sucking on her nipple hungrily.

“Mmm… it’s pretty,” Regina said with a little impish smirk of her own, her fingers at the back of Emma’s head, then at her nape, stroking it. “Mmm… your pretty little mouth feels so good, baby girl, you suck so good…”

“I’d suck you for hours,” Emma released the nipple, then bit on it. “I really would,” she trapped it again and then raised the woman’s skirt up to her hips, her hand cupping her sex, already wet.

Regina let out a soft moan, bit her lower lip and tightened her fingers on Emma’s hair slightly. “Mmm… will you fuck me right here, baby girl?”

“Mh-hm…” Emma didn’t want to let go of the little bundle, and then she made aside Regina’s underwear and passed two digits over her slit, dipping into it, and moisture was released at once, her thumb finding Regina’s clit, stroking it with circular movements, two fingertips venturing into her passage, pressing its entrance.

Regina spread her legs wider, arched her back, edging the seat to give Emma a better angle and she licked her lips, bit the side of the lower one, her breathing heavy.

Then the girl straddled her, kissing her hard, deep, two fingers going deep into Regina and she started penetrating her, her palm rubbing her clit, her free hand squeezing a breast, massaging it, clasping her nipple.

“Hmm… you do things to me…” she mumbled as she sucked on the woman's neck, fucking her deeply.

Regina threw her head back and moaned, a deep, husky moan and clasped the girl’s nape, bit her lips without mercy, sucked her tongue into her mouth and massaged it with her own, sucked it lightly, and it was too erotic, and intimate.

It wasn’t long before the brunette came with a single, loud whimper accompanied by several spasms, which were accompanied by Emma's fingers, thrusting at its rhythm until they stopped.

She kissed the woman again, sweetly, slowly, intimate indeed and then removed herself from her so she could lick at her sex, her tongue gathering the woman's come, drinking it, something Emma never usually did, and when Regina was clean, Emma fixed her underwear back into place, lowered the brunette's skirt and carefully fixed her bra.

“Did you like it, beautiful?” Emma smiled as she buttoned up her blouse.

“Mh-hm,” Regina lifted her hips, fixed her skirt and smiled at the girl, passing careful fingers over her honey blonde hair. “I did, very much, and if I weren’t aware of how sore you must be, I’d have you bent over in the backseat already. Now,” Regina paused, fixing the back of her hair. “Let’s go spoil you, shall we?” She gave the girl a lopsided smile and Emma returned a grateful one.

She tried to say that she felt already spoiled, consideration for her own comfort in her line of work was never a forefront concern, but she simply nodded and both got down the car.

“Ah bent u hier!” The realtor greeted them as they approached him.

“English please?” Emma asked timidly as she stood next to Regina.

“Of course, nice to meet you.”

“We’d like something spacious, perhaps two or three bedrooms, and if you can manage to find something with a private swimming pool, it would be even better,” Regina said, an arm possessively around Emma’s waist, open fingers draped over Emma’s navel. “Today.”

The man eyed the interaction, how the girl stepped closer to the brunette, and he nodded. Nope, not mother and daughter.

“Very well, I’m Sven Hanson,” he extended his hand to the brunette.

“Regina Mills,” the brunette shook his hand, then looked at Emma expectantly and Emma blinked, then smiled for the man, taking his hand as well.

“Emma Swan.”

“Newlyweds?” The man asked as he started leading them into the office.

“Will that make a difference as to how quickly you will find Emma an apartment?” The woman said with an air of annoyance. She wasn’t kidding, she wasn’t a people person, especially with people who asked too many questions, except, apparently, in the case of Emma.

The man gave a tight smile. “Of course not.”

Emma looked at Regina with a combination of amusement and admiration.

Sven sat them in a comfortable couch and produced a large tablet as he sat on the opposite one.

“This is what we have and which fills your requests,” he said as he fed his system with Regina's requirements and he got about six results, he then hissed.

“It's quite expensive, if you want them in the city, and that big.”

Emma rubbed her hands together, anxious.

Regina simply stared at the man with an impassive look, who cleared his throat and showed them the first property.

“This one is Northside, two bedrooms, a space for a study, common pool, very nice, very modern,” he passed the pictures then offered the tablet so Regina could browse it.

Regina took the tablet and pulled Emma on her thigh, a leg on either side of it, and showed her the tablet, so they could see it together, her demeanor towards the girl completely different than the one towards the man, who eyed them with interest.

“What do you think of this one, baby girl?” She asked as she swiped her finger through the pictures.

“It's pretty. Do you like it?”

“I’d prefer a  _ private  _ pool,” Regina said with a pointed eyebrow, then gave the man the tablet back, eyed him again. “Would you like a moment to write that down, Mister Hanson?”

The realtor gave a nervous chuckle, and Emma was glad, because she was nervous herself, and felt exposed, straddling the woman’s thigh. And yet, she found it enthralling.

Also, it was funny how Regina was talking to him as if he were five, with a slow voice, tones of boredom and shades of unimpressed.

“Miss Mills… a private pool in an apartment? I’m not- I’m not sure we have something like that in the catalog. You know, the population has grown so much. What about a hot tub?”

Regina looked up at the honey blonde on her lap, then she looked at the man again and chuckled.

“You must be so wealthy, Mister Hanson, if you won’t even attempt to make an effort to earn an excellent commission,” the brunette looked up at Emma again. “What do you think, pretty girl? Should we find another realtor?”

Emma followed the game right away.

“I think Mister Hansen will really miss out on his commission. You asked for a private pool, not a common one, or a hot tub. Oh, we should find someone who can get you a private pool  _ and _ a hot tub.”

“No- there's no need for that, ladies, if you give me a couple of minutes, please? I'll make a few calls. Yes?”

“Take your time,” Regina dismissed him and pulled Emma’s chin towards her with a finger and kissed her deeply.

The man looked at them, then stood up and walked into a private office, and soon, the women were offered champagne, then left alone.

Emma giggled.

“Why do you like to display me?” She asked with a mirthful grin.

“Because you’re my pretty girl,” Regina said, hugging the girl’s waist, her back against Regina’s chest. “Would you like to have champagne? It’s a bit early for me, perhaps mimosas,” she frowned softly, “People are tasteless.”

“I'm okay,” Emma said. “I had never talked to anyone like that. It was fun.”

“It gets things done, my darling,” Regina said, withdrawing her cell phone to read a text message, something business related, Emma could tell, because Regina didn’t hide it. “Realtors will try to give you whatever they want, let’s change it up when he comes back, shall we? I didn’t hear you ask for what you wanted.”

Emma shrugged, smiled. “Anything you choose will be way more than what I have. I want you to pick what you’ll enjoy. If that includes a private pool, I know I’ll enjoy that too…” the girl licked her lips, rubbed herself discreetly against Regina's thigh.

“What I’d like, truthfully,” Regina said, squeezing the girl’s sex tightly, not enough to hurt her, “Is for you to live there on your own, baby girl.”

Emma spread her legs, and placed a hand over Regina's.

“You mean, without my friend? Why?’

“Because I’d feel like a bitch kicking a girl out of her home if I…” she shrugged a shoulder delicately, “Need to stay longer than a day or two at a time. I enjoy privacy, and it sounds to me, that you should learn about privacy, if you’ve always lived with this girl Ruby. It’s quite a wonderful thing, darling.” Regina’s hand remained cupping the girl’s sex possessively, then she reached over and picked up the champagne flute and sipped it, her lips moist with the golden liquid.

“Come taste this,” she tilted her head up, parted her lips and Emma did at once, licking the brunette's lips fully before engulfing them in a sweet kiss.

“It's sweeter than yesterday's wine,” Emma said, then tasted some more from the woman's lips.

She felt so strange, so possessed, so…  _ owned _ , with the woman simply touching her because she wanted it so, and Emma felt conflicted, because she liked it, and she wasn't sure if that was a good thing.

She pulled away again and looked at Regina as she bit her lip.

“I… I understand what you're saying, and I know you enjoy privacy, I can see it, but… but I- I don't know how I could leave Ruby behind. Perhaps I can help her with her own rent? With the money you said you’d give me? Would that be alright?”

“Wouldn’t you need more money, then?” Regina asked, moving her hand from the girl’s sex to stroke her inner thighs, then up to stroke a breast under the girl’s t-shirt and bra, pinching a nipple.

Emma closed her eyes, licked her lips, a soft gasp leaving her at the pinch.

“I- I don't know,” she gasped. “Maybe…”

“Figure it out, princess,” Regina chuckled warmly, passed her hand down to the girl’s stomach, under her jeans and inside her underwear and slipped a single digit carefully inside her, not even all the way, just enough to penetrate her, and then removed it, dragging it over her clit and licked it clean. “And then tell me what you want, mh?”

“Oh…” Emma curved her back, craned her neck, already on fire, already getting wet. She could smell herself.

“I just- I just want to help out my friend…” she passed a hand behind her, burying her fingers between raven tresses.

“Okay, baby girl,” Regina hummed, tightening her hold on Emma’s stomach, her free hand on the girl’s knee, her lips pressing a soft kiss to her neck. She was expecting the man to come back any time and indeed he did.

“Oh, sorry,” he turned his back to them, catching them mid kiss; the women's faces were too lustful for him to ignore. “I… found the perfect property.”

“Are you speaking to the door?” Regina raised an eyebrow, setting Emma on her lap properly, her hands still stroking the girl’s knee.

The man turned and cleared his throat.

“Of course not,” he said and then produced a folder with printed images of a beautiful townhouse.

“I called every realtor in the city and there are no current apartments with those characteristics, you'd have to look in the outer cities,  _ but _ ,” he spread the pictures across the table. “We have this, it's a beautiful house, two floors, a library, a study, three bedrooms, four bathrooms a hot tub,” -he smiled- “And a pool in the upper floor, and the best part?” He showed a last picture, pointing it with his finger. “A sauna, if you’re interested in that.”

“I am,” Regina looked at the man, yes, she appreciated efficiency, then she looked up at Emma. “See if you like it, princess.”

Regina then turned to the man again. “It’s not me you’ll need to please, Mister Hansen,” she smirked, “It’s Emma, you had better cater to  _ her _ .”

Emma was looking at the pictures, mouth agape. She truly couldn't believe she’d live there.

“Of course,” the man smiled to the girl. “Why don't we go see it right away?”

Emma looked at Regina, as if asking, _can_ _we_?

“Of course, pretty girl,” Regina stood up, along with the girl. “What is the address?” She asked as she gathered the photos and the page with the details of the property, looking at them carefully.

The man pointed to the text in one of the sheets and Emma gasped.

“But there…”

“Miss Mills made it clear she has no issues with the price,” the man said, and Emma turned to Regina.

“Bring a contract, Mister Hansen, if Emma likes it she’ll sign it today,” Regina said, taking the girl by the small of her back and lead the girl out towards her car, and once inside, she gave Emma the information page and the photos after plugging the address into the GPS.

“It seems nice enough, pretty girl, what do you think?” Regina asked the girl with a smile.

Emma, however, seemed to be still surprised.

“Nice enough? It's beautiful, in the best part of town, like,  _ the best _ !”

“Well then, that’s good, isn’t it?” Regina smiled, “Is it close to the university you want to attend?”

“Everything is close in Amsterdam,” Emma chuckled, eyes bright on Regina as they drove away.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your comments and feedback. ♥ I hope you enjoy this chapter.

           The  _ townhouse  _ was more like a real house, or the closest thing to a real house that Emma had ever had anyway. The only difference was that this one was close to the two houses on either side. The property was big, indeed the realtor’s description had been accurate.

The back wall of the living room leading out to the garden was made of thick glass, allowing plenty of natural light into the lower floor.

The kitchen was also spacious, with a floating counter in the middle, which apparently delighted Regina, who commented that her own kitchen had a similar layout, and even suggested that Emma could later add a breakfast nook by the large window overlooking the garden. The bedrooms were also spacious with walk-in closets, and one room was even a  _ library _ , lined with empty bookshelves. There were wooden floors in most areas, except for the bathrooms, which had nice tile, and bathtubs that were so big they could pass for jacuzzis.

As the man had promised, there was also a sauna, complete with a shower just outside of it.

Soon, their tour of the house was over, and Emma was glad that Regina seemed to like the place.

“What do you think, Emma?” Regina smiled at the honey blonde.

Emma kept looking everywhere, lips parted. “Oh, it's so beautiful! I had never been in a house so big. Am I…” Emma got closer to the brunette, her voice only for Regina. “Really? This is where I’ll live?”

Regina looked down at the girl, regarding her with a little smile. “If this is what you want, baby girl,” the brunette chuckled, seemingly enjoying every time the girl came closer to her.

And her enjoyment became larger when Emma threw herself into Regina, her arms around the woman's neck.

“Oh god thank you, thank you, this is so beautiful, it's amazing, I don't know what to say!”

Regina slipped an arm around Emma’s waist, holding her tight against her own body and looked at the man.

“Do you have the paperwork, Mister Hansen?” Regina asked in that cool tone, her hand going down to the girl’s ass and she pulled her closer by it, eyes unwavering on the man, who fixed his eyes on his briefcase.

Emma rested her head against Regina's shoulder.

“Yes, everything is in here,” he went to stand by the kitchen counter and produced a pen.

“What will be the payment method?”

“Check,” Regina said, leading Emma to the kitchen counter, stepping behind her, body pressed to hers, then moved beside her and produced her check book. “What is the amount?” She asked, readying a pen.

The man looked at them, swallowed, and showed Regina the amount, including all the management fees.

Regina wrote out the number, then wrote it in digits.

“And who shall I make the check out to?” Regina asked, gazing back at the man.

“Oh, sorry, how clumsy of me,” the man chuckled awkwardly and gave Regina a card containing the information. “And under whose name should I make the contract, Miss Mills?”

“Give him your information, pretty girl,” Regina said, writing out the check, but before handing it to the man, she made a quick phone call to the business bureau to verify the company was legit, and eyed the man. “Don’t we need a notary or some way to validate the contract, Mister Hansen? Should I have my lawyer get in touch with you?”

“We can go there right after you sign,” the man said, “after we make sure the check is deposited.”

Emma looked at them both, and felt a bit anxious. Really? Was this woman just giving her a house? Conditioned, yes, but still, it was a house!

“Fair enough. Allow me to email my accountant so he can clear the amount,” Regina said, and began to busily type away on her phone, and a few moments later, she turned to Emma and gave her the check. “Hold on to this, beautiful,” Regina looked at her watch. “I must go, I’ll see you later on.” Regina produced a couple of business cards and gave one to Emma, and one to the man, her contact information on them.

_ Regina Mills, Ph.D. _

“Good day, Mister Hansen,” she said to the man, then pulled the girl to her and pecked her lips. “I’ll call you later, beautiful,” she said, and gave the girl some  _ “spending money _ .” About three thousand euros, and then Regina was gone.

Emma looked at the money in her hands, then at the man, who seemed to be doing a supreme effort to keep his comments to himself.

“Now what?”

“Now you give me your name, let me scan your identification, and I’ll give your… friend… a call in the evening when the check clears, so we agree on an hour to meet with the owners, sign, and give you the keys.”

“Okay,” Emma said and they filled out the paperwork, except the few fields Regina needed to fill out herself.

 

            Emma called a cab, stopped for take-out and soon was back to her apartment. Regina hadn't given her a key to her hotel room.

“Ruby?” She called as she placed the food on the table.

“Hey,” Ruby said coming out of the bathroom, hair pulled up in a high ponytail, face covered in make-up and body shimmer, as was her chest.

“Oh, you brought food!”

“I thought you'd take a couple of days off?” Emma said, falling on the couch. She was absolutely exhausted.

“I was, but then I remembered that it’s the weekend and it’s the busiest time of the week,” Ruby let out a long sigh and went to the table. “I’m starving, I was leaving you the last take out leftovers. Where’s your fancy friend? How much did she pay you?”

Emma sat up on the couch and sighed.

“Bring the food and sit down, this will be long.”

Ruby brought the food over to the couch and sat down. “Oh no… what happened?”

Emma grabbed a container and gave a bite, mulling both on the food and the day she’d just had.

“She wants to be my patron, no more working for others, only for her, you know, complete exclusivity.”

“Really?” Ruby’s eyes widened. “Oh my God, so she’ll be like, your sugar mama? No wonder you said she was special, and so, is she going to pay you per month, or like, how will it work out?”

Emma ate some more, frowning as she tried to explain in the most concise way.

“Yeah. She’ll give me ten thousand euros monthly, and wants me to live in a house she just bought, so I can tend to her whenever she comes. I asked her if you could come live with me but…” her lips twisted. “She wants privacy.”

“Oh honey,” Ruby shook her head, “That’s alright! You’ll be all taken care of, I’ll be just fine, and ten thousand euros, that’s… whew,” Ruby smiled, excited for Emma. “That’s seriously awesome! If you’re smart and save everything you can, you won’t have to work another day of your life! Make sure she takes care of your utilities and your clothing. Though of course, if she has a lot of money, she won’t want you in fishnets and corsets, I bet.”

“We haven't talked details through,” Emma shrugged, “Oh, Ruby… I would never just leave you, you know it, don't you? I'll still pay my half of the rent, maybe more.”

“Don’t be stupid, Emma,” Ruby shook her head, “Save your money, who knows how long your arrangement will last, so make sure you save everything you can, just invite me for food now and then,” she chuckled, then raised a finger, “Make sure she also pays for your food.”

“Oh no,” Emma shook her head. “I’ll pay my half here, silly, not only because I’d never leave you to fend for yourself, but, just imagine, that one day she gets bored of me? I mean… she's seriously amazing, and I think she really likes me, but I’ve known the woman for a night and half a day. I don't want either of us to run out of a plan B.”

Ruby seemed to think about it, and finally nodded. “Yes, okay,” she smiled, “She must be super rich, Emma… like I bet you could ask her for anything you wanted and she’d give it to you. You should ask her for things, jewelry, nice things, stuff you can sell later, you know?”

Emma also thought about it, and nodded. It made sense.

“You know what else we can do? We can sublease my window at the district!”

“Oh yeah! I bet Charlotte will be all over it,” she chuckled, “Especially when she finds out you’ve moved on to the sugar baby life,” Ruby grinned widely. “I’m so glad for you, sweetie. If she has any fancy friends, looking for a girl, you know to call me.”

“Oh, I’ll totally ask her!” Emma said. “That would be so great, if you got a similar deal. No matter if man or woman?”

“Oh, I don’t care, you know I don’t care,” Ruby ate a bit more. “So, when are you going to this new place of yours?”

“I don't know, oh and I haven't told you the strangest part. The house? It's in a great neighborhood, and…” she leaned closer to Ruby, as if telling her a secret. “She put it to my name.”

“Shut the fuck up!” Ruby’s eyes widened. “Emma… you better take  _ real  _ good care of this woman, oh my god! What a fucking lucky night!”

“I know! I swear I still can't believe it!” Emma said as she ate. “Why is she doing it? Is money really that inconsequential to her? I really don't know, and damn it, she fucks  _ so _ good! Like, remember I told you I wasn't sure if I had had an actual orgasm? Well  _ now _ I know.”

“Oh honey, it’s such a typical case, she’s probably super rich and super lonely, haven’t we watched Pretty Woman like twenty thousand times? Look at you now, all Julia Roberts,” she laughed, “Oh, Emma, this is so good for you, don’t you fuck this up, this sounds like an awesome freaking deal. What’s her name anyway?” Ruby asked, pulling out her phone to google her.

“Regina Mills, she’s American, and no, I won't fuck this up. Just today she was openly groping me in front of the realtor, oh my god  _ so _ shamelessly, and I just let her, it was so surreal, I swear the man had an erection.”

Ruby laughed, murmuring  _ idiot  _ as she googled her name.

“Let’s see… Regina Mills… it says here she’s the surviving spouse of famous author Mal Vuur, awww… no wonder she’s so lonely, her wife died… she’s a psychologist, oh, here’s a link to her practice,” Ruby seemed more and more impressed by the moment, “And it says she has a couple of charity foundations, and… she writes psychology books,” she gave Emma her phone and the girl browsed through the woman's Wikipedia page. She had a freaking Wikipedia page! “Doctor Mills lives in Finland.”

“What? Finland? I thought she lived in America. No wonder she wants privacy, though here it doesn't say why she’s so damn rich,” Emma returned the phone to Ruby and finished eating, then placed her dishes down and rested her head on her friend's lap.

“I'm sore, but sore good, not sore like when an idiot uses your vagina as a punching bag, this feels…” she tried to explain. “Every throb makes me remember how good she had me.”

“Emma, you better not go falling in love,” Ruby raised an eyebrow, “I mean, it’s not as if you’re a sex worker anymore really, this is a different dynamic, you’re kind of a sugar baby now, but don’t be stupid about it, okay?”

Emma looked at her friend and bit her lip, looking away. “I gave her my real name, and… I couldn't not be me with her,” then she sat up. “It's her fault, she did all these psychologist questions and- and she didn't let me not be me-  _ but-I-won’t-fall-in-love _ !” she added quickly.

“It should be the  _ other  _ way around, you should make her fall in love with you, you’d be all taken care of for life,” Ruby raised an eyebrow, nodding again, then looked at the clock. “Damn, I gotta go,” she moved Emma’s head from her lap and stood up. “Killian’s coming at five.”

Emma groaned.

“That perv. What a surprise he didn't ask for both of us again. You told him I was busy? I'm sorry you get him by yourself.”

Emma would offer Ruby to join her as usual when Killian lurked, but she had made an agreement with Regina.

“It’s fine, honey,” Ruby smirked, “More for me. Not that  _ you  _ need it,” Ruby grinned, put on her coat and grabbed her bag, and soon she left.

Emma fed her cat, scratched his ears and kept googling Regina, and then she googled Mal.

Oh, she was so beautiful, her hair was all shades of blonde, and long and shiny, her eyes seemed to sparkle, and she had a wonderful, slim body that seemed ready to sprint.

She found herself laughing at the interviews of the woman that she found on YouTube and even read the first chapter of one of her novels, and it was amazing.

How could one get over such a woman? Or compete?

Emma tossed her phone on the couch and then cleaned the apartment, made dinner for Ruby and went for a jog, and when she returned, dialed Regina. It was six, she hoped she was free of her duties.

“Mills,” came the woman’s voice from the other end of the line.

“Hi!” Emma chirped. “I was wondering if you freed your day already.”

“I’m afraid not,” Regina said, “Has the realtor called? I know the check cleared, my accountant had a small meltdown,” she chuckled impishly and Emma chuckled as well, infected by the woman's tone.

“No, he said he'd call you. Hm, so, well, now you have my number. So… call me when you need me?” Her tone was hopeful.

“Alright, pretty girl,” Regina said. “I left you a key at the Amrath, maybe you should go make yourself comfortable. I’m caught up in an engagement with an old friend I ran into, but I should be free within the hour. Mister Hansen is probably working out his commission with the listed realtor, I bet he calls tomorrow.”

“Okay, so I just give my name?”

“Yes, darling,” Regina said, “See you later.”

 

               Regina hung up and looked at the man sitting in front of her.

“I have a, uh,” Regina smiled a little, “A girl, you know, for when I’m here on business.”

Killian chuckled, eyebrows high.

“You’ll have to repeat that to me, love, because I’m not sure I heard well.”

Regina leaned closer, her voice hushed.

“I found this girl,” the brunette explained, “At the red light district last night, and I decided to make her my princess, so I bought her a house today.”

“You met a hooker,” Killian frowned. “Yesterday.” He rubbed his chin. “And you bought her a house today.”

“Yeah,” Regina nodded, ate a bit more of her dessert. “She’s a pretty young thing, nineteen years old.”

“I can see why that’d be attractive, I have a pair of favorite nineteens when I come here as well,” the man drank from his wine, then lowered it. “But, besides the- wait. Did you actually fuck her?”

Regina nodded softly, lowered her eyes a bit. “I did.”

The man smiled, a surprised, yet honest smile.

“Love, I’m so glad for you, it was about time, Gina. Five years is a long, long time to be celibate. And are you okay? Did you enjoy it?”

“Yes, I enjoyed it, she’s a very sweet girl, very attentive,” Regina nodded, sipping her own wine. “I mean, no- I won’t compare,” she shook her head of those thoughts. “It was different. Mal was the only one for me since we started to date and… it was difficult, but this girl, she was lovely. I must confess, I kind of psychology-tricked her into giving me her real name and dropping her prostitute mask, but once she did, it was nice.”

“So, you fucked the real one,” the man leaned on his chair and crossed his arms, amused. “Only you would want to do that, love.” he chuckled. “Me? I like them in their roles, it’s what makes the game spicy. I have these girls, and when I come to Amsterdam, I like them to act completely slutty, and I get to spank them and-” he stopped himself. “I apologize, I’m being completely insensitive, now, back to my question. Why did you have to buy her a house, Gina? Why not keep it? You’re giving her every tool to simple flee one day, and I think you want to keep her, don’t you?”

“No matter how bad one wants to keep a person, Killian,” Regina said, with an clouded gaze, “People simply go one day. This girl gave me something I badly needed, and for that, I want her to have anything she desires, and she’ll see me maybe twice a month, maybe she’ll actually be happy when I come here, instead of dreading every day that some entitled rich penis will walk into her little parlor and spank the hell out of her, mh?”

Killian looked away, cleaned his mouth with a napkin and drank some more.

“If you put it that way, you make it sound horrible. It’s their job, I’m a customer. I pay well.”

“It is their job, darling,” Regina chuckled at the man’s sudden discomfort, “But there’s nothing wrong with what I’m doing for Emma either.”

“I didn’t say that,” the man raised his eyes again. “I just worry she’ll hurt you, but I’m glad she made you feel good, and I’m glad you feel good helping her. That’s her name? It’s nice.”

Regina chuckled again.

“You suggested I try to keep her by controlling the most basic need of hers, which is the place she’ll live, that’s a pretty dick move, darling,” Regina smirked. “Alas, let us not talk about that aspect anymore. She originally said her name was Rose.”

“Rose?” The man kept quiet for a moment. “A nice name as well. I bet, very common around here, hm?” He drank. “Anyway, I must cut short our dinner, little one. I have a date with Bella. _ My _ special lady whenever I come here.”

Regina smirked. “When you’re deep inside her later, spanking her, ask yourself,  _ does she really like this? _ ” Regina laughed impishly and sipped her wine. “See you soon, darling.”

Killian glared at her, got up, left his part of the bill and told her, “You’re horrible for doing this to me,” and then after a kiss on her forehead, left.

 

 

 Killian soon made it to the known booth, and after observing Rose’s was closed, he made his way into Bella’s, which was by its side.

“My sweet whore,” he said as he stepped in. “Ready for me?”

Ruby drew her curtains at once and went to him, pressing her body flush against his, arms slipping around his neck.

“I’m always ready for you, Killian,” the petite brunette licked her lips, already working on his penis over his pants, rubbing her belly against it. “Did you miss me?”

He chuckled, grabbing her hair with a hand as he pulled her to him forcefully, making her gasp out.

“I did, I missed my two favorite girls,” he lowered his body, crushing hers. “I just like to close my eyes and imagine you both bent over this very divan, while I fuck first one, then the other,” he yanked off the girl’s bra, leaving red marks on her skin and then cupped her breast, his breath hot at her ear.

“But Rose is not here, so you’ll have to take me by yourself, and you know how long I can last… can you take me, Bella my love?”

“You know I can, baby,” Ruby bit her lower lip. Alright, yes, yes, the man talked a big game, and Ruby wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but she liked it. She lifted her ass for him, pressed her breasts against his hands, and she was so wet, actually, she was glad Emma wasn’t there, because she was more self-conscious when they worked together. “I might be tiny, but I’m all built for that enormous thing of yours…”

It was a while until Ruby found herself spread out on the divan, breathing heavily, biting her lower lip, the man getting dressed beside her.

“Rose is nice, and tight, but she just takes it. You?” Killian smirked. “You make me feel that you really enjoy it, and I like that.” He squeezed a breast playfully.

“Mmh, I do enjoy it, so much…” she said, fixing her hair a bit, massaged his broad shoulders. “Can I do something else for you?” She asked, eagerly.

Killian frowned then, Regina’s words at the forefront of his mind.

“Do you really enjoy it?” Killian asked, and Ruby had never heard that tone of voice in him.

Ruby was a bit taken aback, but Killian was her best customer, she wasn’t about to tell him that she wouldn’t be able to walk tomorrow.

“Of course I do, baby,” she smiled, moved her attentions to his chest. “Didn’t you feel me?” She licked her lips.

The man nodded, and felt appeased.

“Can I get you something to drink, baby?” Ruby asked after a moment, but the man shook his head and zipped up his pants, sitting on the divan and he took a look at the girl’s reddened nipples.

“I just had dinner. Bella, can I ask you something?”

“Anything you want,” Ruby smiled for him, shifting a bit to pose her body for him. Breasts out, ass out, pussy displayed, lips sensually pouty.

Killian chuckled. “Nevermind,” he passed two fingers between Ruby’s legs appreciatively. “You just answered it.”

Ruby looked at him, suddenly feeling a bit self-conscious.

“W-What was it?”

“If you enjoyed my visits,” Killian said, then got up, fixing his pants, and looking at his reflection on the full body mirror Ruby kept there. “I’ll come see you two again, perhaps next week. I got business in town.” He dug into his pocket and produced several bills, the usual amount he gave for both girls, and offered them to Ruby, who took them and kissed his chin.

“I have some bad news for you, handsome,” she pouted a bit. “Rose isn’t working anymore.”

“Why?” the man fixed his shirt. “Is she okay?”

“Oh, she’s fine,” Ruby smiled, “Way fine. She found a nice lady who wants to take care of her. Like a sugar mama, you know? And she’ll focus on college and stuff.”

“Really?” The man frowned and turned to the girl. What a coincidence, and he found coincidences were unlikely. “A… Dutch woman?”

“No, actually, she’s American, some psychologist,” Ruby nodded, “Very pretty, I googled her. So… yeah, Rose isn’t working anymore, but hey, I am, if you want another girl, I know someone you might like,” Ruby smiled eagerly, hoping to God this man would not want to go find someone else now that Rose wasn’t available.

“You mean Emma?” the man smirked.

Ruby frowned. “How do you know her real name?”

He seemed smug. “I know things, sweetheart, and, no, I think I’ll stick with you for quite some time. I can see you can truly take me. Is that fine by you?”

“Mh-hm,” Ruby smiled at the man, set the money aside somewhere and went to him, a smug little smile of her own. He must know Regina, of course, what were the odds, but alas, there they were.

“Listen, Killian… if… if you know this American woman that’s offered to take care of Emma, please don’t… I mean, don’t tell her you know her, too, it might put her off, and this is a really good chance for Emma…”

The man nodded and gave a playful touch on the girl’s nose.

“I won’t say a thing,” Killian took a step back, stuffed a hand in his front pocket and tipped his head for Ruby.

“See you around, sweetheart.” And then he was gone.

Ruby breathed easier and after putting the money away, cleaning up and redressing, she opened her curtain again and put herself on display, waiting for the next customer.

 

Regina made her way into the suite, placing her bag aside and stepped out of her high heels, calling out.

“Baby girl? I spoke with Mister Hansen, he’ll be ready for us at nine in the morning, after we take care of a couple of things, he’ll give us the keys.”

Emma came from the kitchen, a cup of steamy tea in her hands and she went to Regina, offering it to her; she was dressed in a pretty little pink slip that ended just before her slit was visible, its straps thin, the cleavage pronounced and the girl’s breasts bouncing freely.

And socks.

“Hi!” Emma said, she smelled fresh, like berries. “I’m glad you’re back.”

“Aww, don’t you look pretty, darling,” Regina smiled, taking the tea and sipped it, fingered the fabric of the girl’s slip.

“I got pretty for you,” Emma said, kissing the woman’s cheek and stood by her side, waiting for her to surely, wrap an arm around her. “And bathed. Do you like how I smell?”

There was that possessive arm, hand spread on her navel, lifting her slip up a bit, enough to bare the girl and Regina took in a deep breath as she lead Emma further into the suite. “Mm… yes, you smell like berries, baby girl.”

Emma wrapped her arms around the woman and shivered, awed by the sudden desire within her, how her sex began throbbing at once.

“Yeah,” Emma rubbed the tip of her nose against Regina’s neck. “I want to be so pretty for you, so desirable…”

Regina chuckled warmly.

“Have you had dinner, pretty girl?” She asked as they reached the kitchen and Regina deposited a large file she’d been carrying in her arms, then picked up Emma and set her on a stool, and Emma took its edges with both hands and swung her legs a bit.

“I did. How was your meeting?” Green, sweet eyes were all for Regina.

“It was fine,” Regina said as she leaned against the counter in front of the girl. “Are you wearing anything under this little slip of yours?”

Emma lowered her face, her eyes fixed on the woman’s face, and she bit her lower lip, a little smile tugging at her lips, and she shook her head slowly.

Regina chuckled, leaned closer to the girl and pecked her lips softly.

“What’s gotten into you tonight, baby girl?” The brunette asked, kindly, twirling a strand of honey blonde hair with a little smile.

“What do you mean?” Emma tilted her head a bit. “You don’t like this? I- I just wanted to-” she shrugged. “To be nice to you, and give you attention. I… did I do something wrong?”

“I don’t like  _ this _ ? What is  _ this _ , sweetheart?” Regina picked up the girl easily, balancing her hot tea on her free hand and brought her to the armchair, setting Emma on her lap, stroking her thigh, her stomach and Emma cuddled against her, her head on the woman’s shoulder.

“I wanted to look sexy for you, and I liked making you tea, and I wanted to know about your day.”

“I do like this then,” Regina smiled and sipped her tea, “And you  _ are  _ very sexy, and the tea is very good, and my day was also successful, pretty princess,” the brunette smiled, her hand caressing the girl’s back as she sipped her tea. “But I know you’re sore, and so do you,” she smirked a little, giving the girl a pointed little look, a sweeter one.

“And I still want you,” Emma frowned. “Why?” She asked, somehow thinking that Regina had an answer in that brain of hers, that she had written it somewhere in her books.

“Because I made you feel good, and you like to feel good,” Regina smiled, “Nothing wrong with that, but if I take you again, I could hurt you, darling.”

“Then can we stay like this?” Emma asked, snuggling against the woman’s neck, closing her eyes and pressing her body against hers. “Just caressing? I like it so much, how it feels. I had never felt so safe in my life.”

Regina looked at the girl’s face, stroking her back softly still and she pouted softly. Poor little thing, probably abandoned by her mother, a careless father, having to sell her body just to get by, but… Regina knew better than to think of Emma as some poor desolate girl. The honey blonde had ambitions in life.

“I think it’s a good idea,” Regina said, sipping her tea again and switched on the television, watching the news as she stroked the girl and had her tea.

Emma accompanied her in silence, content, molding to her, and after a while she asked. “Can I ask how come you are so wealthy?”

“I inherited,” Regina said simply, now stroking the girl’s arm. “It’s old money.”

“Oh wow, and do you have siblings?”

“No, it’s just me…” Regina said quietly, sipped her tea and stroked the girl's waist.

“I had a sister, but she died when he was four,” Emma commented, eyes fixed on the television where once again, the calamities to befall the United Kingdom after Brexit were being recited.

Regina squeezed the girl gently as a means of comfort and sipped her tea again, then set the cup aside and wrapped her other arm around the girl, rocking the armchair a bit with a foot. She should get a rocking chair for her own home.

Emma practically purred as she started playing with a strand of dark hair, wrapping it and unwrapping it around her finger.

“I really like this,” she repeated, whispering. “Do you like it too?”

But Regina had fallen asleep.

Emma observed her and smiled, a warm feeling spreading in her chest, and she stood up, removing the woman’s shoes, her necklace, her watch, her earrings, and placed everything carefully over the vanity -the shoes inside the closet- then went to look for the woman’s pajamas and returned, caressing the woman’s face.

“Regina?” She cooed. “Let me put you in your night clothes, yes?”

A sweet warm smile spread over the woman’s lips, eyes still closed.

“In a minute, angel…”

Emma chuckled lightly and unbuttoned the woman’s blouse, then reached behind her and unclasped her bra, her little suck mark brilliant purple against her skin, and then she caressed Regina’s stomach.

“Come on, get up a bit, I’ll just slip your pajama on you and get you to bed, yes, beautiful?”

“Mal…” Regina whined softly, turning over slightly and went back to sleep.

Emma froze, and her chest constricted, her lips thinned and she looked down, reprimanding herself for being so stupid, gathering all those strange feelings and putting them in the back of her mind, or at the bottom of her gut.

“Honey,” she pulled the woman’s body a bit and managed to remove her blouse and bra, and then slipped her slip over her head. “Come on, let me take you to bed, you’ll sleep better, I promise,” she got up and pulled the woman’s body up and Regina jolted awake, pulling herself off the arm chair.

“I was comfortable,” she complained with something resembling a pout, eyes passing over the girl as she pulled her hair out of its hold and shook it out. “I’m sorry, darling, I fell asleep on you.”

“No problem, not at all,” Emma lead her to the bed and after lowering the sheets, helped her lie down, then removed her skirt and covered her, fixing her pillow.

“Better?” she sat by her side, stroking her hair.

“Much,” Regina smiled warmly. “Thank you, pretty girl.”

“No problem,” Emma smiled, kissed the woman’s lips and got up, turning the television off, placing the cup in the sink, and after brushing her teeth and braiding her hair -and putting on underwear- she returned to the bed and slipped in, hugging herself to Regina.

“Night, beautiful.”

“Good night, darling,” Regina held the girl tight against her most of the night, felt her fall asleep and looked up at the ceiling, mouthing softly to somewhere in the sky.

_ I’m so sorry, angel, but I’m so lonely… _

 

Emma woke up before the woman and made it into the hotel gym, running for about twenty minutes on the treadmill, and then returned, took a shower and started making coffee and slicing fruit, humming softly.

She really liked to spend time with Regina, to be held, and she felt relieved. She had feared it would be suffocating to cater to a single client when she was used to have many faceless ones who she could reject simply by closing her curtains, but she could not do that with Regina, Regina would visit her, and Emma would have to be there for her.

And she was actually looking forward to it.

Soon enough, she heard the shower running, and several minutes later, Regina entered the kitchen, already in hair and makeup, today she had it down straight, save for the ends which were beautifully wavy, however, she wasn’t dressed yet, only clad in her silk black robe, which was half open, revealing the valley between the woman’s breasts down to her bellybutton.

“Good morning, baby girl,” the brunette smiled warmly.

Emma caught herself staring, and she blinked.

“You… you look so beautiful today,” she said, lips parted and almost cut herself, the blade just pressing into her skin, and she chuckled. “Look what you almost made me do.”

“Aww, poor darling,” Regina pouted, going to the girl and kissed her finger, sucked it between her lips and pushed her aside gently, taking over the knife and finished slicing the fruit. “I feel like something a bit more hearty, why don’t you get something brought to us, mh? I’m craving bread.”

“Okay!” Emma smiled and went to request room service, and then returned to Regina, sitting on the stool as she woman sliced.

“What are we doing today?”

“We’ll sign your contract and get your keys, and then I travel a bit later,” Regina pouted softly, and Emma pouted after her, tracing patterns on the counter.

“And when will I see you again?” She raised her gaze.

“Soon, oh yes, we must go to the bank,” Regina said. “You need a credit card.”

“Oh,” Emma tried to smile for the woman, but she simply felt sad, and she knew she was being ridiculous. “Is that how you’ll deposit the monthly…” and then the term ‘payment’ tasted horrible in her mouth. “Uh… money?”

“No, darling, I’ll deposit that to your bank account, the credit card is just in case you want something, or to pay the house bills, you know, things like that,” Regina explained as she poured coffee in a mug and prepared it, giving it to Emma, then made some for herself and sipped, letting out a soft sigh.

Emma had a bank account. Many clients paid with cards, and she had a little app that could make the charge, but then the state would be all over her ass.

“I think we’ll need me a new bank account, and…” she pondered. “Make the concept donations, instead of a fee, just, you know, taxes.”

“Alright, pretty baby,” Regina said as she sipped her coffee again and ate a slice of fruit. “Technically, you should open a student account and perhaps they’ll refund some of your expenses.”

“Oh, that’s a great idea,” Emma smiled a bit more, and then she couldn’t hold it any longer. “Can’t you stay an extra day?”

“I can’t, darling,” Regina shook her head. “I need to take care of some business in Finland. But perhaps I’ll see you at the end of the month.”

Emma nodded, smiled. “Okay, by then I’ll have the house so pretty, you’ll see. I’ll make it so warm and cozy so you really like to spend time there with me.”

“Make a little room for a yoga mat out in the deck, won’t you?” Regina smiled warmly, feeding Emma a piece of fruit and then ate one herself. “And have you figured out what you’ll do about your friend?”

“I talked to her, she’s really happy,” Emma smiled wider. “She’s the best, really. I’ll help her with the rent.”

“Alright, love, let me know how much you need,” Regina sipped again, licked her lip. “Perhaps I could meet this friend of yours.”

“Meet?” Emma asked. “Or  _ meet _ ?”

“Well, she needs money, and I have money,” Regina licked her spoon, eyes on the honey blonde, who concentrated on her coffee, head low, her smile gone.

Emma bitterly remembered that, even if this made her feel so good, it was, in the end, a contract, and if Regina wanted to hire someone else, she very well could, and would.

“Okay, I hope you can meet her then,” she said with a faded smile and then drank her coffee.

“Aww, won't you introduce me, darling?” The brunette toyed with the honey blonde, who, obviously was jealous, and Regina enjoyed that, it made her feel wanted.

“I said I would,” Emma forced again that tiny smile, and then felt bad for answering that way, for feeling so upset in the first place, and it showed on her face.

“Come here, baby girl,” Regina commanded sweetly.

Emma looked at her for a few seconds, her pout visible, and then slid down the stool and went to stand next to the woman, expectant.

Regina tugged her chin against her with a bent finger and kissed her, intrusively, tongue in her mouth, and Emma could taste just how sweet Regina liked her coffee.

Emma kissed her back, wrapped her arms around her, her body adapting to hers, and then she pulled away, little gasps leaving her mouth.

“You don’t need anyone else, I can give you everything you want, all the attention, all you’ll ever need, you don’t need another girl. I’ll treat you so well, Regina, make you feel at home. I swear,” Emma pressed her forehead against Regina’s and closed her eyes, her heart beating hard in her ribcage.

“It was just a ruse, baby girl,” Regina said, eyes studious of the honey blonde and draped her arm around her back, holding her against her body. “You don’t need to worry, mh? You’re my special girl.”

“A ruse? Why?” Emma frowned.

“Well, it wasn’t, I thought perhaps I could take care of your friend as well, but I just don’t want you to be upset, darling, but if you promise to take care of me, then I’ll be just fine, mh?” She smiled and pecked the girl’s lips.

“Do you want to take care of her… because of me?” Emma tilted her head.

“Mh-hm,” Regina smiled a bit, slipped a hand down to Emma’s ass and stroked it with spread fingers. “But I suppose paying her rent is enough, mh?”

Emma shook her head. “Can you take care of her and still just let  _ me  _ take care of you?” Emma asked as she mounted the woman’s leg, stuck her ass out to encourage her strokes.

Regina eyed Emma and raked her fingers through her hair, thinking for a few moments.

“Alright,” Regina said with a small nod.

Emma gave a sigh of relief, both because of what she had, almost by accident, gotten -and almost _not_ gotten- for her friend. Also, because at least, as far as she knew, Regina would be hers.

“Keep touching me, please, I like it so much,” Emma moaned out softly, eyes closed, her hands rubbing Regina’s back.

Regina continued stroking the girl, soon picking her up and sat her on the counter, spreading her legs and removed her underwear. “Spread your pretty pussy for me…”

Emma licked her lips, nodded, wordless, and she spread her legs, then used her fingers to do the same with her labia, already swollen and wet for the woman, her clit swollen as well.

“Here it is, just for you…” Emma’s breathing was shallow.

“How pretty,” Regina studied the girl’s pussy, licked her lips, then leaned in and ate the girl out without mercy, and Emma cradled the woman’s head with her hands and threw her head back.

“Oh dear god… you’re amazing,” she moaned as she scooped closer to the edge, her legs wrapping around Regina’s shoulders. “Please… please… have me. I can take you, I swear.”

“You’re a bad girl, baby,” Regina slipped two fingers inside the girl and pressed her spot, her tongue hungry on her folds, sucking her clit.

“No, I’m good, I’ll be so good,” Emma said, almost incoherent as she bucked her hips, and then she felt her imminent orgasm, so fast, so enticing. “R-Reginnnnn-ah…”

The woman smiled and thrusted a few times through Emma’s orgasm, then licked the girl clean and licked her fingers clean and stood up straight, a satisfied smile on her face.

“Oh, it is such a pleasure to eat pussy, especially yours, so young and pretty and delicious, baby girl,” Regina wiped around her mouth, and Emma reached to help, then brought the woman to her and kissed her, tasting herself.

“Let me taste yours… please, I want to taste you,” she swallowed.

“Alright, baby girl,” Regina pulled Emma off the counter and set her on her feet. “Where do you want me, love?”

Emma felt encouraged by the world, the first time Regina used it, and she turned the woman, embraced her from behind, undid the belt of her robe and then left her naked, placing a hand on her nape and making her bend over the counter.

“Right here…” she said, and spread the woman’s legs.

Regina bit her lower lip as she found her face close to the counter, and it triggered a memory of Mal, the woman would have her way with Regina anywhere, no ego or superego to speak of. It brought a smile to her lips and she closed her eyes, stuck out her ass for the girl.

“Eat me, baby girl…” she moaned.

“Oh, yes…” Emma said and knelt, spread wider those long legs and spread Regina’s labia with her thumb to reveal her moist core.

“You’re so wet,” she blew over the exposed flesh. “Is it for me? So I can taste you?”

“All yours, sweetie,” Regina breathed out, shivering with anticipation. “Come on, baby girl, please don’t make me wait, I’ve waited too long already…” she begged.

“Oh, I won’t, I want you so much,” Emma then licked the woman’s whole sex, her tongue extended over it, pressing from clit to entrance, and then she did it again, and again, until she let her tongue slither deep inside Regina, moving it in and out, as deep as it would reach as she stroke the woman’s thighs, her ass, squeezing it.

Regina moaned loudly, tilted her head back.

“That feels good, princess,” she groaned, spread her legs a bit more. “You’re amazing…”

Emma smiled against her entrance, which she started to suck now, and suck, and suck as her thumb found the woman’s clit and she rubbed it, making tight circles, exactly three, and at the fourth, she pressed, then started again, her nails raking down Regina’s back, her ass, her inner thighs.

Regina cried out, bit her lower lip as she felt her muscles tightening, the delicious spasms, the electricity running through her body as she came hard.

“Emma!!” She cried the girl’s name.

Emma thrust deeper, and pressed on the woman’s clit, and just as she was coming down from her high, Emma removed her tongue and pressed three fingers deep into Regina, hooking them, rubbing, and Regina panted, crying out again, back arching tightly, head thrown back.

“Oh  _ fuck _ ! Emma!”

“Come again, yes? For me?” The girl begged as she pressed both on her clit and spot, her teeth delivering little bites all over her thighs, her ass.

Regina came hard again, it was the last thing she felt before she felt her body elevated to a different dimension. That long it had been since she’d come like that, a sort of out of body experience she’d only achieved once before.

Emma kept pressing until the woman went still, and then she crawled over her sprawled body and pressed soft kisses on her neck.

“Wow… you screamed.”

“See what you do, pretty darling?” Regina smiled blissfully, “Come to bed with me, won’t you?” Regina asked, lifting herself off the counter and stroked a strand of Emma’s hair, the woman’s demeanor was flirty, almost girl-like.

“Yes,” Emma smiled and taking the woman’s hand, let her lead her to the bed, where she removed her top, becoming fully naked for the woman, her eyes full of that sparkle of need.

Regina laid down, bringing the girl on top of her and kissed her deeply, a hand tangled in her hair, her legs wrapping around the honey blonde as she rubbed her body against the girl’s soft, young skin.

“Can I tell you a little secret, pretty girl?”

“Yes, anything,” Emma said, enjoying fully the touches. Oh, she couldn’t get enough.

“I love fucking,” Regina kissed her harder, tongue inside the girl’s mouth, then sucked Emma’s tongue into her own. “So much… and I love to be fucked like a slut… can you do that for me, baby? Can you fuck me like a slut?”

Emma moaned out, bit the woman’s tongue, and looked at her with a roguish smile.

“Can I borrow that fancy strapless dildo of yours?”

“You can borrow anything you want, darlin’” Regina moaned, licked her lips, eyes hooded, as she reached to the bedside drawer and withdrew the item.

Emma took it, pulled the woman off her gently and knelt, her legs spread.

“Watch me,” she asked, and then introduced the short end into herself with a single thrust, the rubber cock protruding now between her legs.

Regina watched the girl and put her arms up above her head, back arched, legs spreading and Emma stroked her knees.

“Be very good and stay there, hm? Don’t you move,” Emma said and then she was gone.

Regina looked up at the ceiling, then felt a pang in her chest and lowered her eyes.

Soon Emma was back, the dildo moving with each step, and went to the woman’s arms, and tied two restraints around her wrists, bringing them together, and then tying its lace to the headboard.

“Try them for me, will you, beautiful?” Emma asked as she caressed the woman’s arms, the inner side of them.

Regina tried the restraints and smirked.

“Nice and tight, baby, were you a little girl scout?” Regina asked, voice husky.

“I’ll sure be for you, now it’s time to learn how to rekindle a fire, hm?” Emma smirked back and then stroke the woman’s breasts, her stomach, her thighs, cupped her sex, and at last knelt between her legs, placing a pillow under Regina’s hips.

“Right where I want you, beautiful…” the girl licked her lips and then licked Regina’s slit, kissed her stomach, took a breast in her mouth, sucking gently, and suddenly she penetrated Regina, just the glans, just spreading her a bit.

“Oh, you’re so tight… I love it…” Emma nibbled on the woman’s nipple, a hand sneaking under her back, the other grabbing her hipbone.

Regina shook her head.

“No, baby, untie me,” Regina’s voice sounded begging, “I want to hold you, come on…”

Emma stopped, looked at the woman, and nodded, reaching over and with a simple flick of her fingers, the lace separated from the restrains, and another similar flick, had them come off Regina’s wrists, falling on the bed, and Emma looked at the woman with worried eyes.

“Are you okay, Regina?”

“Oh yes,” Regina pulled the girl against her and kissed her deeply, both hands tangled in her hair, tugging softly, legs wrapped around her waist, feet on the girl’s calves. “Just fuck me, darling, I want you so deep inside me…” Regina said, kissing Emma again deeply.

Emma responded, her tongue deep inside Regina’s mouth, a hand under her back, the other over a breast, cupping it lovingly, and then she pushed all the way in, rotating her hips, as if screwing a bolt.

“I like you so much,” Emma moaned. “So, so much,” she started thrusting into Regina, deeply, steady, yet hard.

Regina moaned, bucked her hips to meet Emma’s thrusts and writhed a bit, thrashing around, clinging to the girl.

“That’s it, baby girl, I like you so much too, don’t you stop, darling…”

“Never,” Emma released Regina’s lip and then sucked behind her ear, biting the sensitive skin there as she kept penetrating her, just a bit deeper each time.

“I like you so much spread for me, I really do… I’ll make you come so good, beautiful,” Emma shifted her hips, changed the angle, making sure the glans rubbed against Regina’s spot every time it came in and out of her.

Regina moaned out the girl’s name, urged her to move faster, harder, rubbed her breasts against hers, her nipples hardened, both of theirs, and their skins were soon sweaty and Regina looked gorgeous, completely abandoned, completely engulfed.

“So close, baby girl,” the brunette whimpered, kissed Emma again.

“M-me too…” Emma gasped, and then she buried her face in the crook between Regina’s jaw and shoulder, held onto her with claw-like fingers and took all the traction she needed, starting to thrust into the woman relentlessly, their pelvises clashing together, their breasts rubbing, Emma’s hips wild and fast.

“God, god, you’re so delicious and tight, Regina… I’m so, so deep inside you.”

“God damn it, Emma,” Regina cried out as she came hard again, tugging on Emma’s hair, her other hand squeezing the skin of her upper back and Emma came as well, the speed of her thrusts increased, her rhythm a frenzy as she held onto the woman.

“Regina! Oh fuck!” Emma rode out their orgasms, eyes tightly closed, her soreness reawakened, but oh, she loved it.

Regina groaned, breathing heavily, held the girl against her and closed her eyes.

“Mmm… so good, darling,” the brunette hummed, then cracked an eye open when her phone rang, she reached over and picked it up from the nightstand.

It was the realtor, they had been waiting for them for about half an hour now. Regina arranged for them to meet there at the Amrath, along with the notary.

When breakfast was brought, they ate in bed, sharing kisses and much to Regina’s delight, Emma was all over her. It was soothing somehow.

Within a couple of hours, the contract was signed, Emma had her keys, and they had gone to the bank, where Emma had opened a new bank account and Regina had requested an extension of her credit in an account with Emma’s name and they were back in the hotel, fucking hard until it was time for Regina to go.

“You have my number, right?” Emma said as she finished getting dressed and hung her backpack from her shoulder, her new, treasured books inside it. “Will you call me when you come? Will you just go to the house? Like a surprise?”

“I’ll call you when I come, darling,” Regina said, brushing out her hair and pulled it up in a ponytail. It was the first time Emma had seen the woman in casual clothing, jeans and a long sheer white blouse, a white tanktop underneath it.

Regina slipped on her glasses and hung her bag over her shoulder, then took her suitcase. “See you at the end of the month, darling. And I mean it,” she gave the girl a pointed look. “You had better spend your time studying, I don’t want you out anymore, do you understand?”

“I promise,” Emma nodded and smiled a bit. How fast it had changed from ‘ _ you can work if you want _ ’ to ‘ _ I don’t want you out anymore’ _ .

Emma liked it.

“Can I go with you to the airport to say goodbye?

“No,” Regina deadpanned. “I don’t like saying goodbye.”

And with that, the woman was gone, leaving Emma utterly confused, and like that, with her new set of keys in her backpack, returned to the apartment she shared with Ruby.

 

              “I can’t manage to figure out this woman,” Emma said, dropping her bag and removing her shoes, then sat by the brunette, on the small space she left available. Ruby was laying on the couch, legs spread. “Sore?”

“Yeah,” Ruby sighed, glancing at the window. “Busy night, you know.”

“I know,” Emma knew all about busy nights. “I have the keys to the new house.”

“That’s amazing!” Ruby quipped, looking at her friend. “Hey, I need to tell you something.”

“Okay.”

“Killian, as in, pervy Killian, knows your Regina,” Ruby nodded, “I guess they must be close because she talked to him about you. When I told him you weren’t working anymore and that a American lady was going to take care of you, he figured it out.  _ But  _ I told him not to tell her that he knew you. He said he wasn’t going to. Small world, huh?”

“Oh wow,” Emma blinked. “I wonder if Regina knows the kind of man he is behind closed curtains,” Emma rubbed her hip, as if remembering an old pain. “But I’m not sure I should keep it from her, she like, strips you naked, and not only your clothes, but I’ll wait until it comes out, if it does.”

Emma slid down the couch, her back on the seat now.

“Regina is so odd, Ruby. I can’t grasp her.  _ Get me into a fantasy, be yourself, don’t be yourself, treat me like this, no, treat me the opposite, I love it when you’re over me. Don’t come say good bye _ ,” she sighed. “She confuses me. I really just… I suppose I’ll be myself.”

Ruby nodded at her friend.

“That’s your best bet, I guess,” Ruby shrugged. “I mean, imagine she only slept with her wife in all those years they were married, you get used to one person, they know exactly what you want without you having to explain, you know what they like, you get used to a certain way of things, I bet she’s rediscovering her sexuality, it can’t be easy, poor woman. She must be so hungry for attention, I mean, you fucked her one night, and she bought you a fucking  _ house _ ,” Ruby raised both eyebrows. “Seriously. I feel sorry for her.”

“I know,” Emma closed her eyes. “She called her wife’s name while she was asleep…”

“She did?” Ruby cringed.  

“Mh-hm, I was undressing her to put her in pajamas because she had fallen asleep, and she called me angel, but I don’t think she was talking to me at all. It was to her wife. I felt…” Emma paused, shrugged. “Anyway,” she sat up again, winced a bit, sore as well. “I have good news for you.”

“Oh? What is it?” Ruby asked.

“Don’t ask me how, I still don’t know how it happened, but she said she’d take care of you too.”

“Oh,” Ruby lifted herself off the couch and looked at her friend. “So we’ll be full time associates- no… we won’t, will we? I mean she hasn’t even seen me,” Ruby chuckled. “Emma, don’t joke with me.”

“I’m not, she’ll help you out because of me,” Emma grinned, now excited at the idea of Ruby don’t having to work either. “I’ll take care of her. You can simply finally get into college!”

The honey blonde found herself tackled, and the brunette kissed her all over her face, hugging her hard. “Are you serious? Oh dude! You’re amazing!”

“I am!” Emma laughed, hugged her friend back. “We can close our booths! We don’t have to take another dick in our life! Well- maybe you will, I know you like them,” Emma laughed again.

“Ohh! That’s amazing, Emma, really, really amazing! I was already dreading having to go back to work tonight,” Ruby hugged her friend tighter.

“No, no, don’t ever go back! Except for your things,” Emma went to grab her backpack and after removing her books, produced about twenty thousand euros in cash. “Look at this! We are rich!”

“Oh my god,” Ruby’s eyes widened. “That’s… a lot of fucking money. Is that what she’ll give you every month?”

“No, this was her pocket money, can you believe it?” Emma said. “She’ll give me five thousand monthly for you, so you can get a decent apartment, and pay services, and have food, and if you want, you can find a better job that will allow you to study. Oh god Ruby we can go to college!”

Ruby smiled happily.

“Oh I’m so happy,” Ruby hugged Emma again. “But I don’t want to move, I’d rather pay for this dump and save the rest, you never know, Emma, remember that.”

“Is that what you want?”

“Yeah,” Ruby nodded, “I just… you know, you never know.”

“You’re right. You said it, she probably is giving me this all because she’s lonely, and one day she might not be, and… if we spent all our money, we’d be back to zero.” Emma nodded, lowered her eyes and her tone was less enthusiast.

“Hey, but at least you have a house now, in an awesome place in the city, no one can take that away,  _ and  _ you can always sell it, you know? If you needed money, so cheer up,” Ruby smiled. “Maybe with a little luck, you can manage to put your little claws in this woman for good, be Mrs. Rich Lady.”

“That’d be nice, but I don’t think it will happen.” Emma chuckled. And that was not why Emma had gotten sad.

“Anyway, want to come with me and see the house? We can go shopping for furniture, both for you and me!”

“Yeah, let’s go,” Ruby nodded, already getting up. “And what did I just tell you? Save your damn money, woman. But if you feel giving today, I would really love a better bed.”

“I have a credit card,” Emma grinned.

“Okay, let’s go,” Ruby said, grabbing her satchel.

That day, they went to one of the best furniture stores in the city, and every single piece of furniture Emma liked was always held to the same inner questions _;_ _Would Regina like this? Would she like to sit in that chair? Will she enjoy drinking her coffee from that mug? Would she like to fuck me over those cushions?_

With thoughts of Regina present in her mind, Emma carefully selected the furniture for their-  _ her _ new house.

Emma couldn’t wait for the end of the month, excited for Regina to see how she would decorate the house.

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for your comments and reviews. ♥

           Regina set her suitcase by the door and closed it, and there it was, the goddamn smell that both made her heart fill with joy and made her want to cry. It was why she hated spending time away from home.

Coming back every night from her practice was fine, because the smell was still with her all day and she barely registered it when she came home, but when she’d been away long enough, it hit her like a stroke.

Almost literally.

Regina’s heart ached, because for some reason the house still held Mal’s presence, even after five years. But then again, the house was pretty much as her wife had left it, Mal’s desk by her favorite window, her laptop sitting there intact, printed pages of the book she hadn’t finished sitting next to it, the red pen resting just above the pages, even her favorite cushions on her favorite spot on the couch were still there.

It was a good thing that Regina did not watch television, because any time she turned it on, it was on the channel Mal had liked to watch, and every time, Regina couldn’t bring herself to change it, or move her clothes out of the closet and drawers, though at times she slept in Mal’s t-shirt, the one her wife had liked the most.

Regina found herself sobbing again as she made her way up the stairs and shut the door of their-  _ her _ , bedroom.

She’d bought a goddamned hooker a house.

Not that she regretted it, she liked Emma, so much, but Regina was sure she had confused the girl to no end. It had been so long since she had taken care of anyone. Her last years with Mal were spent tirelessly making sure she was alright, fretting, to her wife’s limits, so much so, that Mal had needed to tell her to fuck off and let her write for a bit. The memory brought Regina a bitter chuckle.

And then when Mal passed away and Regina returned home from the hospital, she found that her life was suddenly empty. There was no longer anyone to fret over, no one’s blood sugar or pressure to measure, no one to give medication to at all hours of the day, or who to bring a cup of tea, or water, or a meal.

It was just Regina, and silence.

Work became a motion; Regina had tried to take on patients, but she hadn’t been able to because her empathy had shut down.

Regina simply couldn’t care for others, not when she had been so hopeful after she had given Mal her own kidney and bought her wife some precious, precious time, but the illness had taken the kidney in the end, along with the rest of her wife.

In the end, Regina had resorted to simply writing psychology books, running the administrative aspect of her practice, and every now and then teaching a class at the local university, as well as lecturing when she was asked.

And of course, her business in Amsterdam, where every now and then she gave lectures, and supervised her charity foundation, and that got her out of the house, took her there twice a month.

But no Mal. And… as hard as they both she and Mal had tried, Regina, under so much stress and sleepless nights and worry for her wife’s health, had been unable to conceive. They had, together, thought that Regina could have Mal’s baby, keep a little piece of her, but… it hadn’t been in the cards.

With those thoughts circling in her mind, it wasn’t long before Regina had cried herself to sleep. She’d be busy enough tomorrow, used to the smell of her home again, to the quiet life she lived now.

She missed Emma’s message, asking her if she had made it home safely, and then the one wishing her a good night’s sleep.

 

Ruby emerged from the water and grinned at Emma.

“I can’t believe you have a pool, this is amaaaaazing,” she went underwater again and came out, sitting at one of the comfortable pool chairs Emma had bought. “This is the best; the place is really looking amazing.”

It had been three weeks since they had both stopped working and Ruby and Emma had been hanging out every day, readjusting their sleeping schedule, and overall just being girls with more money than they knew what to do with,  _ save _ .

“Isn’t it?” Emma removed her glasses -which she didn’t need inside, but people in pools in the movies always had sunglasses on, and she liked the image- and took a sip from her lemonade, then sat up and crossed her legs under her.

They had subleased their booths -as they had said, they never knew what could happen in the future-, let the union know they wouldn’t be “working for a while” and then Emma and Ruby had spent their days decorating the new house.

They also got new stuff for Ruby’s apartment, which greatly improved, with Ruby picking out a bunch of mismatching antique furniture, art nouveau and post World War objects. Then both Emma and Ruby had painted the walls that could be painted, and the ones that couldn’t be, they covered in fabrics, frames and posters. And per Emma’s insistence, placed plants in several corners.

And the house? Emma had gone for more simple furniture, classic and in good taste, the kind she knew her mother had liked to keep at her childhood home -before her mother exited her life forever- and of course, she herself filled it with potted plants and in the end decided to buy that little dining table Regina had suggested, for the kitchen nook.

Emma thought she had left the house feeling cozy and warm. She couldn’t wait for Regina to see it.

Not that the woman had answered to a single one of her messages, the four she ever sent, so she stopped. The money was being deposited, and there was no obituary in Regina’s Wikipedia page, so Emma knew her plane hadn’t crashed.

“Honey, I still can’t believe this,” Emma said, leaning her elbows on her thighs as she observed Ruby swim leisurely again. “I really can’t. It’s a dream.”

“A dream, yeah,” Ruby looked up at her friend, floating now on the water. “You better get yourself a nice haircut and pretty things to wear for Regina,” she grinned. “You’re almost expecting her, aren’t you?”

“Oh,” Emma removed her sunglasses and bit them absently. “I guess. I don’t know. She said she’d call me, but yeah, I’ll go get a haircut. Wanna come too? We could get a manicure and pedicure as well… oh, in one of those super high-end spas!”

“You’re insane, save your damn money,” Ruby laughed, “I can do my own nails and I look cute without a haircut.”

“Ruby…” Emma whined. “Going there will be like,” she shrugged. “Not even a dent in the monthly. Really, I swear, I even made a budget.”

Emma went to grab her phone and returned to the pool, sitting down, dipping her feet into the warm water and asked Ruby to approach her, then showed her a notepad with some numbers.

“See? I have forty percent of the money contemplated for saving. I’m opening a new account where I’ll put all of that away, so I don’t spend it, and that’s four thousand a month. And the rest? Really, it’s for living. Hey, as you said, we don’t know how much this will last. Why not to enjoy it?”

Emma had felt something curious as the days had gone by and Regina’s presence had faded slowly; she had felt as if drunk, or stoned by Regina’s aura, and now it was as if those sensations had become dormant, which was fine by her, because she had found herself missing a woman she had only known for barely three days.

“Alright, fine,” Ruby grinned. “Let’s do it.”

Emma grinned and stood up, took several steps back and then jumped into the pool, sending water splashing everywhere and bathing Ruby, who giggled, and the girl came out laughing as she then splashed water towards her friend.

Ruby grinned and splashed water back towards Emma as they exited the pool, and soon they were on their way to the spa, and shopping for nice clothes for Emma and, again, under her insistence, a few items for Ruby.

At last, Emma accompanied Ruby back to their former shared apartment, greeted some friends -some of whom asked Emma about her new patron, though the girl denied any kind of information giving privacy as an excuse, and then had gotten in her bike and rode away.

That night, Ruby got a call. Killian, her screen flashed. She stared at her phone and chewed on her bottom lip a bit. At last, she answered.

“Hi baby!”

“Bella my sweet,” the man’s deep voice said. “I’m in town. See you in half an hour?”

“Um,” Ruby chewed on her lower lip. “Yeah, I’m not in my booth anymore, though. I can… I can give you another address.”

“Everything okay?” The man asked with suspicion.

“Everything’s fine, yeah, write this down,” she said, providing the man with her address. “It’s an apartment building, just let yourself in the main door, it’s never locked.

The man took a few seconds to answer. “I’ve never been there. No matter, I’ll use google. Maybe I’ll take longer to get there, wait for me,” he said, then hung up.

Ruby hung up and looked around her place a bit, straightened up a little and lit some incense and a few candles, just so she could turn off the lights and hide some of the areas she and Emma hadn’t gotten to yet, then she went to undress, instead putting on a robe and tied it loosely. She had gotten rid of her body glitter and truthfully, there was no need for makeup, since Killian rarely even looked at her face.

About half an hour later, there were three knocks at her door.

“Come in, baby,” Ruby said as she got up from the couch and went to the door, letting Killian in and locking it behind him. She slipped her arms around his neck and pressed her body to his.

Killian had indeed stepped aside without looking at the girl, his hand stuffed in his front pocket as he looked around, unwrapping Ruby’s arms so he could stroll around, studious.

“What’s this place?” He asked as he took a trinket on a table covered by colorful fabrics.

“Uh… this is my home,” Ruby said, running a hand through her hair as she walked behind the man, who put down the object and then looked up at the… yarn balls? Hanging from the ceiling, led series lights all over the place, and he chuckled, as if the ingenuity of the girl amused him.

“Why am I in your home?” He picked up a frame of Ruby and Emma hugging. They seemed to be about fifteen, and Ruby soon pried it away from his hands gently and placed it at the table face down.

“Because you want to fuck me?” The girl tilted her head and reached for his belt loops, tugging him to her and pressed against him again.

Killian finally looked at her, and he looked taken aback.

“You did something to your hair?” He loosely circled the girl’s waist with an arm.

“The only man in the world who would notice,” she chuckled, a hand cupping his manhood, stroking it. “Come, get comfortable,” she lead him to a large couch and sat him down on it, then climbed on his lap and undid her robe. “What do you want me to do to you, tell me dirty, baby…” she licked her lips.

Killian, however, unlike every single time he had been with these girls, wasn’t already erect, and he placed his hands on Ruby’s hips, staring at her face.

“You have no makeup on, or glitter,” he observed almost casually.

_ Damn it. _

“Give me two minutes, please,” the girl began to get up but Killian kept her in place.

“I didn’t ask you to put them on. It’s just, strange, I had never seen you like this, how young you actually are…” he sat up, the girl still on his lap, his hands at her bare hips. “How old are you?”

“Nineteen,” she said, arms around his neck again, massaging his shoulders.

The man’s demeanor changed, and that air of self-importance, that domineering stance faded, just a bit.

“Nineteen,” he repeated. “When I… introduced you…” he seemed to wince at the choice of words. “I thought you were older. Your handler said you were twenty-two.” He frowned slightly.

Ruby frowned softly as well.

“I… I’m sorry, whoever told you that lied to you,” Ruby chuckled a little, a bit nervously. She didn’t want to lose Killian. “Actually, it was the day after my eighteenth birthday.”

The man pushed Ruby from him kindly, and then set his feet down, Regina’s words hitting him. Of a young girl dreading when he would show up to spank the hell out of her, and the girl was so, so young, her face sweeter than all the makeup she wore would let show. He realized that was why he had been drawn to the picture of her and Ros- Emma.

“What’s your name?” He turned to her.

Ruby bit the corner of her cheek and stood up, pulling the robe back on her shoulders, but didn’t close it.

“Bella.”

Killian looked at the girl intently, and then nodded, getting up, pacing a bit.

“Do you dread when I come see you? Did Rose?”

“Rose dreads all men,” Ruby chuckled a little. “And I’m here, aren’t I?” She knew if she tried to keep up a game, the man would simply leave, so at last, she let out a breath.

“Ruby, my name is Ruby,” she said, nodding a bit.

The man nodded, now both hands in his pockets, his gaze somber. If one payed, and the other part was there because they had little or no choice, was it still consensual?

“Ruby…” Killian shook his head and took a seat on an armchair, legs spread, forearms over this thighs, hands clasped together. “I have always thought men and women are free to do with their bodies as they please, and I don’t think that a construction worker, wasting away his body is any different from a sex worker, once bigoted opinions about sexuality are removed. Am I wrong to think that?”

“No, you aren’t wrong,” Ruby shook her head and sat down on the coffee table in front of the man. “Don’t do this to yourself, Killian, I was there knowing what I was getting into. It’s my family trade.”

“But if you had had the option, if Rose had, would you have done something else with your lives?”

“Yeah,” Ruby answered truthfully, “But I didn’t have any other skills, and I was in an urgent situation.”

“What urgent situation?” Killian asked, his face blank.

“Well,” Ruby said, “Emma and I were homeless, and hungry… and, well, we were waiting for me to turn eighteen, so we could start together. So, the day after my birthday, I asked my mother to help us get work, and she took us to you.”

Killian leaned against the armchair, rubbed his beard, sighed, eyes aside.

Emma dreaded men, dreaded  _ him _ ; she and Ruby had been taken to him -to be deflowered- by her own mother, so they wouldn’t starve.

Killian felt like shit. Regina was right.

Yet, Regina was paying Emma for sex, so perhaps the woman didn’t really have the higher moral ground.

“Would it serve at all if I said I’m sorry you had to go through that?”

“Oh, please,” Ruby shook her head, “You don’t have to be sorry. We are so grateful to you, with the money we made that night, we were able to get this apartment and food for like a month, and other things we needed. You helped us a lot.”

The man stared at her, and he produced a little smile.

“I did, didn’t I?”

“Mh-hm,” Ruby nodded, giving the man a smile, placing a hand on his thigh.

“Come here,” he patted his lap.

Ruby climbed on his lap right away, straddling him and the man rested his hands on her hips.

“Do you really like to work for me?”

“Yes,” Ruby smiled, slipped her arms around his neck and sat on his dick, pressing down on it. “You’re the only one I’ve allowed in my home, see?”

“That’s true, and you didn’t have to do that, right?” Killian tugged her to him, her bare breasts pressed against his shirt. “You made that choice, sweet Bella? To receive me here?” He then squeezed her ass, stroked the soft skin.

Ruby licked her lips and nibbled his earlobe, her hands everywhere on his body, squeezing his muscles.

“That’s right, I wanted your big cock so bad that I didn’t care,” she whispered, “And we can go all night, no one will bother us…”

The man groaned, spread her legs further, and bit her neck, sucked on it, then said, “Show me your tits, touch them for me, and then get them in my mouth…”

Ruby pulled her upper body back and dropped her robe fully, her fingers palming her breasts, tugging her nipples, and after some moments, she lifted herself on her knees and pressed them together as much as she could so he could get both nipples in his mouth

“Like this, baby? Am I a good girl?” Ruby’s eyes hooded.

“Just like that, my good, good girl,” Killian licked his lips, letting go the little twist in his stomach as the word reminded him of Ruby’s age. “Let me suck on them.”

And yes, for the next hours, Ruby let him do everything he wanted.

“That was good for you, wasn't it? I had never seen you come like that.” Killian chuckled.

“It was so good,” the brunette smiled, lifting herself off his lap and bent down over it to clean him off with her mouth, paying careful attention to details, then licked her lips and stood up straight again. “Can I get you something to drink, baby?”

Killian seemed meeker than he normally was.

“Do you have coffee? Perhaps make it a latte?”

“Sure,” Ruby nodded, and went to the kitchen, returning a few minutes later with a latte and gave it to him, sipped her own drink. “I hope it’s good.”

The man sipped, smiling, pleased, then looked around.

“Your house is… interesting. A bit kitschy but warm in its own way. Did you decorate it yourself?” He chuckled. “Of course you did.”

“Yeah, thank you, Emma just bought me a whole bunch of stuff,” Ruby chuckled a little bit, “She’s so sweet. We painted a few days ago, so… sorry about the smell, though I think the incense covers it pretty well.”

“It does,” the man zipped himself up. He seemed troubled.

“It's the spanking, right? You could do without it.”

“I’m here to please you, Killian,” Ruby looked up at him, a gentle frown on her face. “Not the other way around, why are you like this tonight?”

The man tried to answer, but he didn't know how to organize his thoughts.

“Please me by answering.” He got up.

“Alright,” Ruby reached for her robe again and put it on. “I could do without how hard you spank me sometimes, you can be quite rough…”

“See, it wasn't that hard to tell me,” Killian mumbled and drank his coffee, then walked to the picture Ruby had turned down and picked it up again, observing it in silence.

“What's the story behind this?”

Ruby got up and looked at the picture.

“We were about fifteen,” Ruby smiled, “We had broken into a water park and got on all the rides, it was such a happy day,” she chuckled a bit.

“Broke in?” He put the picture down.

“Yeah, it was Emma’s birthday, and I wanted to do something special for her, so I figured out how to sneak in without paying, we were pretty broke, so… we got in and stole a couple of admission bracelets when the guy wasn’t looking and it was one of the best days ever.”

The girl’s eyes were bright, there was laughter in her voice and Killian chuckled.

“Little rascal, that's what you were.”

“I was,” she laughed, “I was an expert shoplifter by twelve, so you better hang on to your wallet tight,” she joked, elbowing him gently and the man smirked, looking at her in silence, then moved back and pulled out his wallet, producing several euros, and after a few moments of consideration, added a couple more, placing them on the table by the picture.

“So you go to the water park and don't have to sneak in,” Killian said.

Ruby gave him a real, honest, mirthful smile.

“See you around, Killian.”

He looked around, saw the girl again, eyes studious and then nodded.

“See you around, Ruby.”

Then he was gone.   
  


 

“So Regina hasn’t called you at all?” Ruby asked a week later, while she and Emma were in Emma’s kitchen, making sandwiches.

“Nope,” Emma said all too casual as she sliced a cucumber. “Sweet, right? Less work for me.”

“Yeah, I was just going to say that,” Ruby grinned and just then, they heard keys in the lock and luggage wheels gliding across the wooden floor.

“Oh damn, it must be her, she said she'd call!” Emma said, then looked at her friend. “I don't know if she’ll like to find you here.”

“Tell her I’m here to clean your house,” Ruby smirked, then ushered Emma out. “Go greet her.”

They heard the sound of keys being placed down in the small table by the door.

Emma checked herself in a mirror by the hallway and ran towards the ample living room, and then she saw Regina, dressed in black tights and a long blouse, a black jacket, and a long necklace with a half-moon hanging from, and also high heeled boots. Emma’s anxiety disappeared, or was forgotten as she strode to Regina and hugged her, chin on the woman's shoulder.

“Regina!”

“Hi, my beautiful girl,” Regina draped an arm around her and pecked her lips. “You have company, darling?” However, the woman didn’t seem upset.

“I was just leaving,” Ruby said, getting her bag. “See you, Emma,” Ruby waved and rushed out. Emma had been about to introduce her, but had to instead just talk about her to Regina.

“That was Ruby. Hey, let me help you with that,” Emma walked behind Regina and took her jacket, sliding it down her shoulders and hung it on the wood hanger she had placed by the door, then almost skipped back to the woman, smiling.

“The place looks lovely, darling,” Regina smiled and sat on the couch, groaning softly and grabbed her suitcase, placing it on the little coffee table.

“Come here,” Regina patted her thighs, “I brought you some presents.”

Emma sat next to her instead, taking one of Regina’s legs on her lap, and unzipped the boot.

“Are you tired? How was your flight?” Emma asked, wondering about the groan when Regina had sat down, then started massaging the woman's foot once it was free.

“It was fine, darling, open your presents.” Regina smiled, taking back her foot so she could rummage through her suitcase, giving Emma several boxes of wrapped presents, then removed the other boot herself.

There were all sorts of things in the boxes, books, journals, silk scarves, bracelets, earrings, necklaces, some pretty slips, real silk, in assorted colors, even a couple of pairs of nice shoes, bathing suits... It was as if the woman had spent the entire month they hadn’t seen each other shopping for Emma. Expensive perfumes, even a pretty little collar for Gouda.

“Oh my god,” Emma would look at one object, then another, and another, eyes wide, shining with the curiosity of a child opening toys.

“Is this all for me?” Emma looked at the woman, mouth agape as she held a necklace with a pretty moon.

“Yep,” Regina chuckled, lifting her own necklace. “I have one too, to light us up in dark times, mh?” Regina’s smile reached her eyes, showing the few age lines the woman had.

Emma looked at the necklace on the woman's chest, and touched it with two fingertips, then gave Regina a bright smile.

“Put mine on?” Emma offered Regina her own moon.

“Let’s see,” Regina took the necklace and turned the girl around, “Hold your hair up for me,” and when the girl did, Regina put on her necklace. “There you go, baby girl.”

Emma looked down at her new necklace, and touched it.

“It's so beautiful, I love it, I love that it's like yours. Everything is so beautiful,” she turned to Regina and pecked her lips. “I don't know what to say. Thank you.”

“Don’t say anything, pretty girl,” Regina smiled gently, leaned back on the couch carefully and groaned softly again. “Let’s watch some television or something, mh? What do you want to do?”

“Are you okay?” Emma asked, frowning softly.

“I had a small car accident and hurt my back,” Regina gave the girl a soft smile. “It’ll be better in no time, baby girl.”

“Oh,” Emma pouted. “What happened? Can I do anything?”

“A reindeer,” she chuckled, shaking her head, “I was driving too fast, but,” she lifted a finger, “I at least cooked the poor thing. Though my car was wrecked.”

Emma’s eyes traveled all over the woman's body, seeking for anything she could soothe, and she shook her head.

“Should you be walking in boots?” She smiled.

“Of course,” Regina chuckled, pulling the girl to her and gave her a kiss on the forehead. “Did you miss me, darling? I bet not…” Regina pouted.

“I did!” Emma said, almost offended, a pout of her own, and she took Regina's hand in hers, playing with her fingers. “I tried to message you, but perhaps I was overstepping my boundaries, so I stopped.”

“Our arrangement was a couple of days a month here, pretty girl, you don’t need to waste your personal time with me,” Regina gave the girl a smile, slipped an arm around her back and stroked the skin of her stomach with the other. “Now, tell me, have you been studying? When do you start university?”

“I wanted to message you,” Emma said, getting closer to the woman, gladly letting her touch her, and loving the feeling of those cool fingers under her tee-shirt. “Anyway, I have been checking and I need to study, and pass a test, and then I could start in August.” She bit her lip. “I found a school that helps you prepare, so I’ll start going in a couple of weeks. I’ll really do my best. I promise.”

“Oh good, that’s good, sweetheart. Let me know if you need my help,” Regina smiled warmly, continued petting the girl, who rested her head on her shoulder, eyes closed and sighed contentedly as she promised she'd ask for help if she needed it.

That high, that drunkenness was back.

“Can I call you by a shorter name? She asked softly. “Regina is so beautiful, but a bit long...”

“Hmm…” Regina shrugged, “Some people call me Gina?”

“Gina…” Emma contemplated the name, and then smiled, speaking it with more confidence, as if getting used to its’ taste. “Gina. I like it.” Emma bounced a bit. “Welcome home Gina.”

Regina smiled, she could get used to this, though things would never, ever be the same, not as they were with Mal.

“How about some tea, baby girl?”

“Oh, yes!” Emma said. “I was making sandwiches, would you like one? And some chamomile tea? Oh, I can’t wait to show you the rest of the house, I tried to make it as pretty as possible. I think you’ll like it.”

“No sandwich for me, beautiful, but you go ahead,” Regina smiled gently, “I’ll just have tea.”

“Okay,” Emma got up. “Stay here, I’ll bring it for you.”

“Bring it in the bath,” Regina called to the kitchen and went to run herself a bath, looking around at the decoration. It was nice, but Regina could tell the girl had shopped for her.

Regina ran a warm bath and used some oil she withdrew from her purse.

A few minutes later, Emma came in with a tray containg a steamy cup of tea, and a small kettle-shaped container and a purple tulip.

“Here you go,” Emma sat on the edge of the tub and placed the tray over it. “I added some honey.”

“Thank you, baby girl,” Regina said, eyes closed, then opened one to reach for the cup and sipped it. “You make good tea, darling.”

Emma grinned, pleased.

“Look, I bought tulips and planted them in the garden, and I bought aromatic salts. Would you like me to add some to your bath?”

“No, this is just fine, lovely,” Regina hummed, then sipped her tea. “Come relax with me, mh?”

Emma’s eyes had been caught by the bruise that ran across the woman’s torso, from one shoulder, to her opposite hip, and she frowned, then gave her a sweet smile.

“Okay.”

Emma got up, removed her tee-shirt, her jeans and underwear -she had been enjoying a bra-less day- and then slipped into the bathtub opposite to Regina.

“Does it hurt? Your bruise?” Emma asked, eyes full of worry as she touched her own shoulder and chest.

“A bit,” Regina smiled faintly and opened one eye again, then it fell closed. “Ah, I was so hopeful it’d be my last day on earth.”

“Why would you say that?” The girl frowned. “Don’t you like to be alive?”

“Today I do, darling,” Regina sipped her tea, then set the cup on the tray and submerged her hands.

Emma thought about Regina’s words, about the bits Regina had told her about herself, and her own conversations with Ruby.

“Is it because you miss your wife?” Emma asked, her tone a bit timid.

“Yes,” Regina simply said. “Tell me about this school of yours, darling, and what have you been doing this past month?”

“Oh, well,” Emma shrugged and lowered her body, the hot water covering her shoulders, part of her chin. “I’ve been decorating, and researching about school, and,” she smiled a bit. “I’ve been reading one of your books. It’s so fascinating, that part about the shadows? It makes so much sense.”

“Very good, darling,” Regina smiled, “You should have some knowledge before you choose if psychology really is the path you want to take. You see, a lot of psychologists, most actually, choose this line of work because we want to find out why something was done to us or to someone we love, or why someone we love did something that affected us deeply. However, you must have a real passion to help other people. I used to have that passion…” the brunette withdrew her hand and passed her fingertips over the surface of the water, creating tiny gentle waves.

Emma fell in silent contemplation for a while.

“Have you been able to sleep well? Have you experienced any flashbacks or nightmares?” Regina then asked.

“Yes but it’s normal, the nightmares, I mean.” Emma tensed a bit, sitting straight and shrugged.

“Normal if you have a certain trauma or fear. What are your nightmares, pretty girl?”

Emma shrugged again, turned her head to one side as she played with a loofa hanging from the tiles.

“Hm… my sister, I guess. Sometimes my mother.”

“She must have abandoned you when you were young, you have an amplified Electra complex, pretty girl,” Regina removed the tray from between them and set it on the floor just outside the tub. “Come here, let me hold you for a bit.”

Emma tilted her head, blinked, as if confused, but she got up, hot, soapy water running down her body, and then sat in front of Regina, carefully, minding her bruise, and at last rested her head on the woman’s shoulder.

“She left when my sister died. What’s an Electra complex?”

Regina held the girl to her tightly, kissed her temple, stroked her hair gently.

“It’s nothing you need to worry about right now, my pretty princess, I’ll take such good care of you, mh? Did you like all the presents I brought you?” Regina kissed the girl’s cheek again.

“Yes,” Emma closed her eyes, enjoying the contact, the touches, her mind numbing, her mind quelling. “They are beautiful. I can’t wait to read the books.”

“You’ll enjoy them, I bet, baby girl,” Regina kissed Emma’s cheek again. “Now tell me, how have you been adjusting to your new life?”

“It’s like a dream,” Emma smiled, her eyelids refusing to open. “Sometimes I wake up and think I overslept and should be at my parlor, and then I remember I don’t have to go there anymore.”

“What did you want to be when you were a little girl, sweetheart? Before all the bad things happened?” Regina’s voice was soft, entrancing, as were her hands in her caresses.

Emma took several seconds to answer. “A ballerina,” she chuckled. “I had a tutu, I used it every day, until it didn’t fit anymore.”

“That’s sweet, Emma,” Regina tightened her arms around the girl. “Would you like me to get you a new one that fits you?”

Emma chuckled a bit. “I’m too old to be a ballerina… it was a stupid dream anyway.”

Regina chuckled. “I wanted to be a cowgirl,” she smirked a little, “My dad and I used to watch old Clint Eastwood movies, well, he watched them, I sat by him and watched  _ him _ .”

“Was you father nice to you?” Emma opened her eyes, turned her face to the woman. “Did he play with you and asked how your day was?”

“He was…” Regina made a gesture with her hand. “He was an intelligent man. After my mother left us, he did what he could, he worked a lot…” the woman said, ending the sentence, though Emma could tell that there was so much more left to be said.

“Did she die?” Emma asked sitting up a bit, and Regina noticed the change in Emma’s demeanor, which in turn, made her wake up from the sort of trace she had been under.

“Oh yes,” Regina nodded, “She’s been gone for a long time. I was four.”

“Four, like when my sister died,” Emma lowered her eyes. “I’m sorry, that sucks. But I’m glad at least you got a nice dad. My mom could be dead for all accounts, and my father didn’t really care about me.”

“I’m sure he cared, baby girl, but…” Regina shook her head a bit, “When we lose someone we love so much, it’s easy to stop taking value in ourselves, easy to think there was so much more we could have done, and we waste away, but, that won’t happen to you, princess,” Regina kissed Emma’s temple. “I’ll make sure.”

“Okay.” Emma looked at her, and she didn’t understand what Regina meant, or wanted to. The words made her happy, and that was enough.

Emma turned her body and hugged Regina, carefully and mindful, her head on her shoulder, then sighed.

“Mom and dad lost my sister, and they…” Emma shrugged a shoulder. “I don’t think I was enough to fill her place.”

“You had your own place, Emma,” Regina said, cupping Emma’s cheek, her face closer to the girl’s. “You still do, you don’t need to live under the shadow of her death. Your parents were selfish idiots, who, grief-stricken, didn’t realize that while they lost a daughter, you lost a sister  _ and  _ your parents. Don’t you waste another second on them Emma, not another tear, you hear me?”

Emma pouted, despite the words, and her eyes became glassy, but she nodded and pressed her hand against her face, rubbing her eyes.

“Okay,” Emma said feebly, and then, with more strength. “Okay.”

“Good,” Regina smiled, stroking the girl’s cheek now with the backs of her fingers. “You’re my brave, brave girl, now I’m the only one you need, mh? I’ll make sure you get wherever you want in life, but you must shed all of your old life first and accept what your life is now. You take nothing from anyone, you want for nothing, you  _ starve  _ for nothing, you cry for nothing, you hear me? You have everything you want.”

Emma’s eyes watered again, and she nodded, the corners of her mouth tugging downwards a bit, trembling as she tried to speak, but in the end she gave up and hugged herself to the Regina, and faint cries left her constricted throat.

“T-thank you. I don’t know why you do this all for me, but thank you, thank you so much.”

“For very selfish reasons, darling, I assure you,” Regina stroked the girl’s hair, then set her feet on the tub and picked up the girl, groaning as she did and stepped out of the tub carefully and set her down on the bathroom counter, grabbing a fluffy towel and dried Emma off.

“Your selfish reasons are very generous then,” Emma said, rubbing her eyes. “Don’t go around picking me up, you’re hurt, let me take care of you, yes? I can see how much it hurts,” she caught the towel, gently asking for it to be released with a tug.

“Oh, Emma, let me do what I want, won’t you?” Regina set the towel aside and placed her hands at the girl’s knees, eyes set on Emma’s crotch.

“Will it make you happy?” Emma asked, a hand resting over Regina’s still wet chest.

“Possibilities are endless,” Regina gave the girl a lopsided smile, then took a fresh towel and dried herself off, catching her own reflection in the mirror briefly.

_ “What are you doing out?” Mal rolled her eyes as she threw some water at Regina. “Come back in here, woman, and stay until all your fingers are wrinkled and you have the hands of an eighty-year-old,” the blonde’s trilling laughter filled the bathroom. _

_ Regina laughed, glancing at her wife, knowing she had so much work to do, but what the hell, she sauntered back over to the large bathtub and climbed in, resting her back against the woman’s chest and kissed her cheek. _

_ “Good.” Mal seemed terribly pleased with herself. _

_ “Can’t be without me for a moment, can you?” Regina chuckled. _

_ “I like to have you when I can,” Mal hugged her and sighed, smiling, her head resting back against the edge of the tub. “You have all these conferences and classes and cases, and sometimes I miss you. The house is so empty without you, so shut up and let me hug you.” _

_ Regina seemed all too happy to let her do it. _

_ “Which is why…” Regina grinned, self-satisfied, “I’m bringing all my affairs back to Finland, now I’ll just work at the practice and teach a class now and then, and if there are conferences here, then I  _ might  _ go to those…” she grinned, waiting for Mal’s reaction. _

_ “Shut up, you are?” Mal pushed her off of her so she could look at her face, and then grinned. “Don’t you fuck with my poor heart, Regina Mills-Vuur.” _

_ “I mean it,” the brunette chuckled, pecking her wife’s lips. “I miss you so much when I’m gone, don’t think I’m doing it all for you,” she smirked, “We may actually get to travel together now, with no work, just us traveling together, no phones, no patients, no editors,” she raised an eyebrow and Mal’s grin was wider, and then she hugged her wife. _

_ “God that’s fantastic, love! So great! And no matter what you say I know you do it for me,” Mal sounded cocky, and then laughed, pulling away, kissing her wife’s lips, and then she pressed her lips together. _

_ “Let’s just hope I don’t have an episode that requires us to have a merry trip to the Emergency Room…” Mal rolled her eyes, as if the thought was a tedious occurrence. _

_ “I’ll take care of you,” Regina smiled sweetly, cupping her wife’s cheek. “I always will, angel.” _

_ Mal smiled again and hugged Regina, then pointed at their reflection on the full body mirror Regina liked to keep in the bathroom. _

_ “Look at us, look how fucking beautiful we are, Regina. Nations should go to war over our divinity,” Mal smirked, chuckling when Regina nodded and turned again to kiss her. _

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're so sorry it took us so long to update. We hope it's worth the wait. ♥

            Regina thought about her appearance, and arrived at the conclusion that she was no longer as beautiful as she had once been; her eyes were tired, her face older, a bit sunken. She was thinner, paler, and her hair was greying.

She tore her gaze away from the mirror and a sob followed her all the way to the first bedroom she could find, where she shut the door.

Emma’s eyes were widened, an expression of alarm on her face as she got off the bathroom counter and after putting on a robe, went after the woman, perplexed.

“Gina?” She knocked softly. “Are you okay?”

“Fine, darling,” Regina called from inside, “Would you bring my suitcase, please?”

Regina used the time it took Emma to do that to compose herself and then there was a second set of knocks on the bedroom door.

“Come in, baby girl,” Regina said, and Emma found her sitting on the bed, eyes slightly reddened, clinging to the towel wrapped around her bruised body.

Timid, Emma walked to her and placed the suitcase on the bed by Regina, careful to leave the wheels off the duvet. Then she stood by her side, hands fidgeting slightly.

“Thank you, pretty girl,” Regina stood up and searched through her suitcase, removing a few items.

Mere moments later, Regina was dressed in her usual black slip and robe, then swallowed a couple of pills from a small bottle she also retrieved from her suitcase. “Let’s have coffee and watch something on the television, mh?”

“How do you take your coffee?” Emma smiled gently.

“Sweet and creamy,” Regina said, pulling her hair down again, and Emma stared at her, her tall, beautiful body, her full breasts, those wide hips, and that face, chiseled to perfection, and Emma felt guilty for thinking the woman looked beautiful when she was obviously so sad.

She nodded. “Go ahead, I’ll prepare it, okay?”

“Okay, baby girl,” Regina smiled gently and made her way to the couch, curling up, legs up against her, shifting until she found a comfortable position for her back. It felt good, it was the thing she had missed the most, some sort of domesticity, watching television and drinking coffee with someone without really having to go through the motions of dating someone, getting to know them, committing… ugh, no, to Regina, this was perfect, this was just fine.

She pulled the thick throw that was on the couch and wrapped it around herself, then turned on the television and flipped through the channels. Yes, here she could flip through the channels. It felt amazing.

Emma had put away the cucumbers and shrimp she had been using to make the sandwiches, cleaned the counter and prepared a cup of coffee for Regina and one of tea for herself, then plated some cookies she and Ruby had baked the day before, and soon stepped into the living room with everything on a cutting board, since the tray had been left in the bathroom.

“Here it is,” she approached Regina and placed the service over the coffee table and prepared Regina’s coffee, two spoonfuls of sugar, three of creamer, and as she watched the liquid change colors as she stirred it, she thought of herself, of all the different things Regina had made her feel in so little time, all of those emotions swirling, too.

They spent most of that visit simply watching television and talking.

 

          And for the better part of a year, that was how they spent their time together, Regina visiting once or twice a month, except for the time when Emma failed her first university entry exam. Regina had made a special trip to help her study, staying for about a week, and Emma had discovered that Regina had an extremely high IQ, and could answer almost any question Emma could come up with, creating a fun little dynamic for the both of them, which equally instructed Emma and made Regina feel useful. And the girl, six months later, managed to start college.

Emma had gotten used to her new life, to dressing up and styling her hair differently, even learning to talk and eat differently. Better. Was that classist?

Oh, yeah, Regina had taught her definitions to terminology like classism.

And Regina spoiled her without measure when she visited. The woman had taken her to places Emma never thought she’d enjoy, like the opera and the symphony, and much to her delight, to the ballet, where Emma spent most of the acts with her eyes tearing up and her mouth hanging open in awe. Regina had even taken her to Austria, and Emma had loved it; she had never traveled via airplane before that.

But things had become… strange, different from those first times Emma had been with Regina; their conversations hadn’t delved into things that could be considered intimate, the topics focusing instead on current events, and, thanks to Emma’s growing knowledge, they became more intellectually engaging. Emma loved to see the spark flaring in Regina’s eyes, the way she spoke more passionately, now that she had a more suitable conversation partner in Emma.

And the sex was completely different too, when there was any, and Emma noticed Regina never initiated it again, and Emma respected that, except the few times they had been watching television, or reading, and she would dare to kiss the woman’s neck and caress her breast, and then and only then would Regina engage, being completely engulfed and passionate with Emma.

If asked, Emma would say their… association had plateaued into something akin to a mentorship.

Regina was a highly sensitive woman, Emma could tell in the cracks of the woman’s facade, but the cracks were few and far in between.

One summer day, after Emma had finished her first semester of college, she received a message from Regina, letting her know she’d be there soon, and Emma looked around the house, looking for anything to put back into place, but that was never the case; she had hired one of her ex-workmates -Ella- to help her clean the house three times a week, so she focused on reading a novel, one by Mal Vuur. She had been reading them in her spare time, but, for a reason that Emma didn’t want to analyze, she preferred not to disclose her reading material with Regina.

She thought with a bit of amusement about how excited she had been the first times Regina had come to see her, and how that feeling had plateaued as well, to a meek gladness.

It wasn’t long before Emma heard the keys at the door, and the sound of the woman’s voice.

“Hi, baby girl!” Regina called out. “Are you home?”

Emma hid the book under the pillow and came down the stairs, barefoot, then went to Regina, hugging her.

“Hi, Gina,” She kissed her cheek. “Glad to have you back! Give me that,” she took the woman’s purse, the psychologist no longer having a need for a suitcase, since she had everything she needed in Emma’s house, after a year.

Regina happily handed the girl her bag and removed her jacket, hanging it over the wooden hanger by the door and pulled her hair down from its hold, shaking it out and removed her shoes.

“How are you, sweetheart?” The brunette asked, and this time her eyes seemed a little brighter than usual.

“Oh wonderful. Did you check the attachment I sent you? I passed all my subjects!” Emma said as she took Regina’s shoes and put them in the closet and then went to the woman, hugging her waist. “What’s gotten into you? You look happy.” There was a curious smile on Emma’s lips.

Regina slipped her arm around Emma’s waist and pulled her to the couch, sitting the girl on her lap. “Oh yes, sweetheart, congratulations! See? I told you not to be discouraged, you’re so intelligent, I’m so proud of you, baby girl. Tell me, what else have you been doing with your life? Met anyone special?”

Emma gave the same smile she produced every time Regina asked that question.

“I’m a busy girl, no time for that.” Emma shrugged. “You know, just school and jogging, and working out at the gym, and reading. You? Come on, tell me why you’re happy, you can’t hide it from me, I know you.”

“I just feel lighter,” Regina smiled a bit more, “I cleaned up my home a couple of weeks ago, made some space,” she nodded. “I also started taking back some patients at my practice, and business is good.”

“Really?” Emma’s eyes went upwards and she threaded her fingers behind Regina’s nape. “That’s so wonderful! Really! Oh! I have to tell you, one of my professors was using your book as a reference.” She chuckled. “I had to bite my tongue to stop showing off because I know you. Oh, Gina I’m so glad you went back to giving therapy, all your empathy needed somewhere to go.”

“It did, didn’t it,” the brunette slipped both arms around the girl’s waist, pulling her closer. “You can tell whoever you want that you know me, baby girl,” she chuckled. “Tell them I give you private tutoring,” she kissed the girl’s ear gently and Emma giggled, both by the tickles and by Regina’s words.

“Really? I’d looove to brag, you know. You’re still like a celebrity.”

Regina chuckled, her fingers a bit more impassive on the girl’s back, pressed another kiss, this time behind her ear, a bit chaste, as if hinting, then she withdrew a bit.

“Darling, you know… when you’re ready to stop this… well, our little thing, you can tell me, pretty girl,” the woman’s eyes flashed with some sadness. “You’re getting wiser, becoming your own woman…”

Emma looked at her, eyes narrowed, studious, her head tilted.

“You no longer need me?” Emma asked quietly.

Regina chuckled sadly.

“Oh, sweet girl, of course I need you,” Regina kissed Emma’s temple. “Maybe more than you need me, mh? Yes, more.”

Emma pouted as she pressed her forehead against Regina’s, a gesture now habitual between them.

“Don’t be silly, Gina, I do need you. You mean more to me than any other person with whom I share DNA. Don’t say that, okay? I’ll be here for as long as you want me around.”

“Darling,” Regina smiled gently, slipping a hand a bit lower than Emma’s lower back, dipping her fingertips into Emma’s jeans. “What if I always need you, mh? There _will_ be a day when you leave me, you’ll meet someone special, they’ll want you all for themselves, you’ll have a family, a wonderful life…”

Emma frowned against the woman’s forehead, a strange jerk in her chest.

“And you don’t need me that way, I understand,” Emma said in a low voice. “I don’t know, Gina. All I know is that I like to have you here, and I love to make you smile. Maybe I’ll always be in your life one way or another, hm?”

“Oh, honey, I find myself calling out for you in my home and then I remember you’re not there,” Regina chuckled. “But you are so young, what would you want with an old woman like me, mh?”

Emma pulled her face away, a vexed look setting on her features.

“What are you saying, Regina? You’re not old, you’re beautiful, and smart, and you have the most penetrating eyes I’ve ever seen. It’s more likely that, if you dared and went past the anxiety and fear, you’d find someone worth your time,” Emma felt a little lump at her throat. “And then you truly wouldn’t need me.” She tried to smile, but her attempt became thin lips fighting to go upwards.

“Are you saying you’re not worth my time? Don’t you think if you weren’t worth my time I would have invested so much time on you? On your career, and your future, and your well-being?” Regina frowned. “I think I’ve proved that you’re very worth my time, darling. Anyone’s time.”

Emma looked down, arms still around the woman’s nape.

“I mean… someone with whom you’d wish to have a home again, a real one, and allow yourself to be happy,” Emma raised only her eyes. “I think you deserve all the happiness in the world.”

Emma knew herself to be a band-aid.

“You don’t think this makes me happy? I mean, darling,” Regina’s voice was slightly strained, and she looked away. “I know we don’t have a lot of sex, but… I could try to treat you differently… you know, if you’d just tell me what you need…”

Emma was puzzled again, how had they gotten to that point? She couldn’t remember the last time they had had this kind of talk.

“Need for what?” Emma sought the woman’s eyes by craning her neck.

“No matter, pretty girl,” Regina smiled gently. “Listen, why don’t you spend the summer with me in Finland? Just, you know, figure out…” the next words tasted very bitter to Regina. “...how much… you know…”

Emma felt excitement, watered down by a cold bucket of reality. Regina would want to pay her for it, of course. Emma wished the woman knew she’d follow her everywhere blindly, if only she asked.

“Do you really want me to go with you? The whole summer?” And yet Emma’s eyes shone with excitement, her arms wrapped more closely around Regina’s neck as she shifted her hips to encourage the adventurous fingers at her jeans.

“Of course,” Regina smiled warmly, her fingers dipping a little lower and her arms tightened at Emma’s side. “What do you think, lovely? I have a little summer cottage on an island, maybe we could spend a day or two there. You can bring your friend if you’d feel safer, honey.”

Emma’s grin became wider as she curved her back, creating more space between her waistband for Regina’s hands.

“Safer? I never feel more safe than when I’m with you!” She suddenly hugged her, prey of excitement, then she kissed the woman’s cheek, her lips, once and again, little, loud pecks as the girl giggled. “I can’t believe I’ll see you for days!”

Regina chuckled, hugging the girl to her and Regina truly, deep down, wanted to believe the girl was being honest with her, but preferred not to delve into it further.

“And I’ll get you for several days,” Regina smiled warmly. “It’ll be wonderful.”

Emma pulled away and nodded energetically, placing her hand behind her, over Regina’s, kindly encouraging it lower with a light push.

“Please don’t ask me again if I want extra money, okay? I have more than I need, way more. Please,” she kissed Regina again, slower, sweet, Regina’s lower lip sliding from between Emma’s, and to Emma’s surprise, Regina let out a soft, little moan, the otherwise usually tense woman melting against her kiss.

“Okay,” Regina’s voice came out as a whisper.

Emma’s chest warmed -and other parts of her- at the sound, and she kissed the woman again, eyes closed, bringing her closer with her arms as she sucked on that lower lip, slowly, leisurely, her body curving to increase the contact, her tongue dipping out to taste her, and she swallowed, a soft moan of her own emerging from her chest and vibrating against their lips.

Regina felt it honest, and hot, right at her core and jerked the girl’s waist against her, slipping a thigh between Emma’s and kissed her deeper, her hands sliding into her jeans and squeezing her ass, and picked her up by it, carrying her to bed.

Emma wrapped her legs around the woman’s waist, the kiss uninterrupted, the moans a bit louder, a bit longer and she arched up her body, exposing it as soon as Regina placed it on the duvet.

“God… I need you so much,” Emma whispered, eyes heavy, lips parted, cheeks rosy with heat and wanton, and perhaps because she had never said those words.

“All you need to do is ask, baby girl, when have I ever said no to you?” Regina husked as she sat up, straddling the girl’s hips and removed her own dress and bra, with such delicateness, making her look every bit the sex goddess Emma thought her to be.

And the girl drank in that view, in the way Regina’s breasts bounced free from their restrains, and how she looked imposing and glorious, her hair falling as a cascade when she removed her dress, and Emma licked her lips, gasped her desire.

“Please… have me,” Emma asked indeed, her hands grasping Regina’s thighs, stroking them avidly, her fingers spread. “I want you, I want you so much, Regina.”

Regina had the girl naked for her in seconds, fingers deep inside her and so aroused was Emma, that all it took were a few thrusts, a few more kisses and the girl was undone, curling up against the older woman, seeking her comfort.

Regina held the girl against her tightly, soothing her.

“God… I really missed that…” Regina said, licking her fingers clean. “You’re damn perfect, you know that?”

Emma chuckled, and her eyes were shiny half moons, a similar shape of the necklace resting over her naked chest. “That’s what I should say. You’re so perfect, I love-” she blinked a few times. “I love how you touch me.”

“Yeah?” Regina chuckled, she knew the girl was about to slip something, she was an expert at reading cues. “I love…” she blinked a few times, playfully, for the girl, a little smirk at her lips. “Touching you.”

Emma’s face reddened almost violently as her eyes danced. She now knew enough to discern Regina had noticed her hesitation, and nervous swirls crawled down her stomach, thinking about what the woman thought she had meant to say.

Emma, herself, didn’t know.

“Touch me then,” Emma finally said, and curled against the woman again, hugging her tightly. “Touch me so much, touch me all the time, hug me, and- and anything you want, okay? I know you always wait for me to start something, but I like it, I like you. I swear I’d say it if I didn’t.”

Even if she was still technically paid for sex, Emma just knew Regina would respect her wishes.

Regina smiled at the girl and pecked her lips, raking her fingers through her honey blonde strands.

“Okay, my sweet girl,” the brunette pulled the girl into her arms and did she touch her, touched her all night, and well into the morning.

 

            Emma woke up first, as usual, but that morning she didn’t feel like going for a run, or using the treadmill Regina had surprised her with one day -for rainy days, the woman had said.

No, she stayed in bed, watching the woman sleep, her chest rising and falling softly, and Emma stroke the twin moon that hung from her long neck.

“I love…” she whispered again, trying to auto-complete herself, like a google suggestion. “I love… I love to be with you,” she tried, but it didn’t feel enough.

Frustrated with herself, Emma got up, put on a robe over her naked body and went to the kitchen, starting coffee for Regina and herself and preparing sliced bread with cream cheese, appelstroop and buttered ontbijtkoek.

She then went to her garden and got a tulip, like she always did for Regina, and placed it on the tray.

There were many things she wanted to say with that tulip, and none of them would she dare to analyze.

“Morning, beautiful,” she cooed as she entered the room and placed the tray in the middle of the bed, slipping back between the sheets, and she stroke the woman’s temple, scratching it. “Wakey wakey.”

Regina smiled sleepily as she stirred, eyes fluttering open and she looked at the girl.

“Hyvää huomenta, kaunis,” she husked, licked her lips. “How did you sleep?”

A smile blossomed on the girl’s face, and she scoot closer to the woman as she served her a cup of coffee. “Oh, so, so so good, even if just a few hours. It had been a while, hadn’t it?” She chuckled and then poured her own cup.

Regina sat up and ran her fingers through her hair, leaned over and kissed the girl softly on the lips.

“Yes, it had…” Regina nodded, “It smells delicious, darling… I love breakfast in bed after a long… long… night,” she chuckled warmly, pulling on her silk robe but not bothering to tie it.

“To many more,” Emma said, raising her cup and drinking, then bit down on her bread.

“Is Finland cold in these months? When are we leaving?”

“It’s a bit cold, yes, and we’ll leave whenever you’re ready, baby girl,” the brunette smiled, “I don’t really have anything to do in Amsterdam this week.”

The girl’s smile came up again, and it softened her entire face.

“Did you come just to see me?”

“Mh-hm,” Regina smiled warmly, sipping her own coffee, seeming completely relaxed. “I did.”

Emma’s smile was now a grin. She placed a sudden, spry kiss on the woman’s cheek and then started eating, her demeanor cheerful.

Regina chuckled and began to eat as well, her eyes studious of the girl. Well, she supposed that’d been a bit of karmic revenge for her teasing the girl earlier, and Regina wasn’t sure what Emma had meant to say, but she suspected the girl didn’t either. So, at least now they were even, and Regina felt so excited to finally have someone fill her home, at least for the summer.

She had put some of Mal’s photos away, most of them, over the course of a few weeks, until at last, all of them were safely stored, and yet she had kept, instead, little reminders of the woman. The golden quill Regina had given her for a birthday, some of her awards still hung on the walls of the library, she had finally put away her unfinished book, and had donated some of her things, though she had moved most of her clothes into storage, and sent a few items to Mal’s parents.

All because of a nineteen-year-old girl she saw once or twice a month in Amsterdam.

She smiled at Emma when she caught her eyes, and they continued eating their breakfast in silence, clad in silk robes and long half-moon necklaces.

That day, they enjoyed a little walk and ended up in the sauna, which Emma only used when Regina was at home- _in town_.

“Do you have a sauna back in Finland?” the girl asked as she poured some water over the hot coals, and a cloud of white vapor refilled the room.

Regina snorted.

“Don’t ask such blasphemous questions, darling,” she chuckled. Regina seemed different this time, much lighter, it was easier for Emma to make her laugh, to make her smile.

Emma laughed as well, jovial and carefree, her damp hair sticking to her cheeks. “So yeah. How is your house?”

“It’s got three stories,” Regina began to describe her home, “First floor is the living room, kitchen, dining room, study and a guest bedroom. Second story is 6 bedrooms, and the third story is the library. My office is in the basement.”

“You have a whole story for a library?” Emma tilted her head. “I’m not surprised. I bet it’s gorgeous. I can’t wait to see it-” she frowned a bit, remembering Regina had mentioned a chalet, not specifically her home. “Will I see it?”

“Of course, baby girl,” Regina chuckled, “We’ll only go to the cottage for a weekend or something, or we’ll literally die horrible deaths by mosquito.”

“Oh, will we go near the sea?” Emma sat up straighter, excitement in her voice. “And do you think we could visit Lapland? I’ve read such great things!”

“Of course, sweetheart,” Regina smiled warmly, “We’ll go anywhere you want. I’d also like to take you to my practice for a day or two, get you exposed to working therapists, what do you think?”

“Oh my god, really?” Emma had now slid over the bench until she was hip to hip by Regina. “Really? Oh Gina, I can’t believe it! This will be the best summer of my life!” She hugged her, pulled away, “Not that there’s much it has to compete with,” she hugged her again, and kissed her cheek. “I love you!”

Regina chuckled warmly, feeling somewhat mirthful at Emma’s candid confession and hugged her tightly.

“Aww, sweet darling, maybe I’ll take you on a real vacation to a nice beach for your winter break, mh? Get you to love me even more.”

The blush was back, and Emma released her, passing some wet strands behind her ear as she realized what she had revealed.

“I- I- I- y-yes, I’ll go with you wherever you want,” it seemed the wooden floor of the sauna had developed fascinating patterns.

Regina tried to bite back a smirk.

“Mhh… Paris? Milan? Madrid?” She side glanced the honey blonde. “What other _love_ destinations are there?”

The flush had barely disappeared from Emma’s face when it came back anew and with a vengeance, coloring now her upper chest as well.

She shrugged, bit her lip insistently, and dared to look at the woman.

“Madrid sounds nice. I- I speak some Spanish, from school,” she said, grazing her chest absently. “Stop it, I know what you’re doing,” she chuckled then.

Regina smirked and pulled the girl to her by her shoulders, her arm around them and at last she relaxed, though the mirthful smirk didn’t disappear from her face.

“You’re terrible,” Emma added, giggling, and then relaxed against the woman. “Perhaps I can plant some tulips in your garden? So that there’s a bit of Amsterdam there?” _And you remember me?_

“That’d be lovely, darling,” Regina smiled warmly. “I’d love some tulips in my garden. There’s a nice little empty plot by the front door.”

“Okay, then what about if I go to the farmer’s market for some bulbs and then we can go? I can go at any time, really.”

“Let’s go in a couple of days then, darling,” Regina smiled gently. “I’m enjoying Amsterdam more and more. Maybe we’ll go for a walk in the city later, mh? What do you think? Have a nice dinner out, maybe go see a movie.”

“It sounds like a lovely date,” Emma smirked, side-glancing the brunette. “I’d _love_ it.”

“Well, you certainly _are_ a lover, aren’t you?” Regina smirked back, opening one eye to look at the girl, who at last added a laugh to her now permanent blushing.

“Oh yes, I do love… many things.” Emma said, then sobered. “I do love to have you here, and to spend time with you,” she then looked down, her bare sole drawing circles on the wood. “I try to let you know, with little things.”

“I can tell, baby girl.” Regina smiled warmly. “I love coming here. To you.”

“I know,” and Emma’s smirk was back. “You came just to seee meee,” she elbowed the woman, “And invite me to your houuuse,” Emma release a little juvenile chuckle.

“And of course, you _love_ it,” the brunette smirked, elbowing the girl back.

“Terrible! You’re terrible!” Emma laughed and tickled the woman, and they spent the rest of the afternoon amid little jokes and innuendos which, from Emma’s point of view, were a very efficient way to keep them from the meaning of their actual words.

Their walk had been nice, pleasant, and they had finally chosen a little restaurant by one of the canals, near the Rijksmuseum.

After ordering, Regina went to wash her hands, and upon her return discovered a steamy cup of coffee waiting for her.

“I thought a cup of coffee might make your afternoon happier,” Emma said with a smile as she sipped on her own.

Regina looked down at her cup, then looked up at Emma and gave her a warm smile, and to the girl’s surprise, she also leaned over and gave her a small peck on the lips, and then the woman’s gaze got lost in her stirring coffee as she added creamer and sugar.

 

            _Regina had just finished her last class for the day and, with a couple of books in her arms, made her way across the courtyard, her eyes catching a violent glimmer of blonde hair, a girl about her age, maybe twenty, sitting on the grass, back against a tree, her beautiful face buried in a book, her worn-out leather satchel by her side. Regina was floored; she had never particularly had a “type” of woman she preferred, but oh boy, this girl made her stop walking. And breathing._

_She chewed her lower lip for a few moments, wondering whether to approach her or not, and after she made the decision to do so, she wondered the how. At last, she rushed back into campus and bought two cups of coffee, brought a few sugar and creamer packets in a little bag, and made her way to the blonde, sitting by her, with her back against the tree as well, so they weren’t making direct eye contact._

_She set the other cup near the girl, and her own by her own leg, taking off the lid and grabbing a few creamer and sugar packets for herself._

_“Hi… I thought a cup of coffee might make your day a little happier,” the brunette smiled, her voice slightly timid, despite how bold she thought her actions actually were. “What are you reading?”_

_The blonde didn’t move, eyes fixed on her lecture for long moments, and at last she extended a hand, the other one keeping the book open._

_Regina couldn’t help a tiny smile, as she took the coffee and placed it in the girl’s hand, then turned to her own coffee again, looking at the liquid as she stirred in her sugar and creamer._

_“Shakespeare?” Regina raised an eyebrow, her voice slightly incredulous and she let out a chuckle._

_The girl took the coffee cup to her nose, sniffed it, tasted it, and apparently decided it was worth her tongue since she gave it a sip._

_“Austen,” she said in a flat tone, then kept reading._

_“I believe her nickname is Chick-lit, correct?” Regina chuckled a bit, sipped her coffee without placing the lid back on._

_The blonde put the styrofoam cup by her side and slowly, very slowly turned to look at Regina for the first time, an eyebrow high._

_“What are you studying? Law? Commerce? Political sciences? You must, to have such a brainwashed attitude.”_

_“Psychology. And… medicine,” Regina explained, feeling a bit hurt by the girl’s snort and she looked to her coffee again. “But hey, if Jane Austen’s overhyped light reading suits you,” she sipped. “Who am I to judge?”_

_Mal stood up and then sat, cross-legged in front of Regina, regarding her with mocking patience._

_“Jane motherfucking Austen,” the blonde girl raised an angry finger, “Was so badass that she had men in her stories just for the sake of women, and sure, she could have made her books sour and lamenting of the state of womanhood in the late seventeen-hundreds, but instead, she made her heroines happy, and you know what? Jane goddamned badass Austen never wrote a single scene without a woman present. You can’t undermine her legacy just because your perception is befitting of a girl living in our time period, in which you have a car that you can drive yourself, and come here to receive an education, Miss Psychologist.”_

_Mal finished with an aired tone and then stood up, dusting off her pants. “Nice to have educated you.”_

_Regina looked down at her cup and sipped it quietly, a bright blush covering her cheeks and she nodded softly, not daring to look up at the blonde again._

_“At least I’m not intolerably stupid,” Regina mumbled, poking at the grass by her thigh._

_The blonde’s upset left her as soon as she had understood what Regina meant, and she laughed, throwing her head back, and sat again._

_“And at least you know your prose. Mal Vuur,” she extended her hand, not for coffee this time._

_“Regina Mills,” the brunette reached her hand out to shake the girl’s, then she shook her head a bit, realizing she was holding it and letting it go. “Nice to meet you, Mal.”_

_“Are you sure?” Mal chuckled as she released her hand. “What’s with the coffee?”_

_Regina seemed a bit nervous now, because she really didn’t want to be “educated”_ _again._

_“Well, you… I…” she cleared her throat a bit. “I thought you looked so pretty, sitting here reading, and I like to drink coffee when I read, so… I don’t know, I just thought you’d like some.”_

_Mal’s eyes twinkled with mischief._

_“Are you gay, Regina?”_

_“Oh God, you’re not one of those super religious types, are you?” Regina looked up mortified._

_“Oh, for Tesla, not the bad kind,” Mal laughed. “So, are you? Do you like me?”_

_Regina bit her lower lip nervously as she looked at the girl._

_“Yeah, I like you.”_

_Mal looked at her in silence, a self-pleased smile in her thin, rosy lips, and then she looked at her watch._

_“Let me see your cup, Regina-dear.”_

_Regina handed over her cup, looking at the girl curiously as she produced a pen and wrote something down, then handed the cup back and stood up._

_“I have classes, see you around,” and after a wink, Mal was gone._

_Regina turned her cup around and looked at what the blonde had written, it was her phone number, accompanied by a winking smiley face. Regina grinned happily. At least reading stupid Jane “motherfucking” Austen, who Regina still thought was highly overhyped, had gotten her a date with this pretty girl._

 

             “Regina?” Emma asked. The woman had spent at least a minute stirring her coffee, eyes astray.

“Mh?” When the woman looked up, there was a glimmer in her eyes, as if she’d just fallen in love with whatever she’d found in her coffee cup.

“What are you thinking about? You’ve been smiling for years.”

“Do you ever find that Jane Austen is terribly overhyped?” Regina asked with a chuckle.

“I like her,” Emma said, “But I like her heroines, the guys? Not so much, so I switch them for women in my head,” she chuckled. “I don’t think so, no, but I’ve only read three novels of hers. Do you?”

“I guess not so much, after all,” Regina smiled, at last sipping her coffee.

Emma sensed a shift in the woman’s behavior; she perceived her distant, though not from her, as if she had gotten lost in a memory.

And that only happened when Regina thought of her wife, Emma knew the look, the soft smile, the lowered eyelids.

“Did Mal like Jane Austen?” She asked at last, her tone cautious. Emma never asked about the woman, never mentioned her, unless Regina did, which was seldom.

“She was vicious in her defense of anyone who dared to speak against her,” Regina chuckled. “Never in my life have I blushed as hard as I did when she kindly educated me about Jane Austen the first time we met.”

“Why? What did you do?” The girl frowned with curiosity, and Regina told her the story of how they first met, chuckling in the end. “So, I never told her this, but I inwardly thought that at least Jane motherfucking Austen’s overrated chick lit writing had gotten me a date with a pretty girl. Oh, she would have been furious.”

Emma found herself laughing, it was strange to know something about this ghost-like presence in Regina’s life.

“Wow, she was brass! I really can’t imagine you like that, all mortified. And then? Did you click? Were you in love right away? Or like, did it take time?”

“Oh, I fell for her right away,” Regina chuckled, “I couldn’t get enough of her personality, she was sarcastic, sassy, hilarious, she made me laugh so much, once she decided I’d been educated enough,” she snorted, shaking her head. “You know, I think she wanted to make sure I wasn’t an idiot before she gave me a real shot.”

Emma had supported her cheek from a fisted hand as she listened, and she felt both touched by the woman’s obvious happiness at her memories, and terribly inadequate at the same time.

Of course, it was ridiculous to compare. Mal Vuur was Regina’s canonized wife, and she? She was… well, what she was.

“She really sounds perfect,” Emma said at last, concentrating on her coffee. “Beautiful, smart, talented… she made you laugh.”

Regina chuckled.

“You remind me of her a bit, in a different way, but in the feelings you evoke,” Regina said without thinking and hid her face behind her coffee.

Emma straightened up a bit, head tilted, the weight in her heart becoming lighter.

“Really? What feelings?” She rubbed the hold of her mug.

“You make me feel wanted, and safe, and protective, and taken care of, and…” at this Regina smirked, not wanting to delve into deeper territory. “ _Loved._ ”

Emma smiled, self-pleased, and in that moment, she felt the urge to beg Regina to stop paying her, that she didn’t want her money anymore, that she wanted to take care of her by her own volition, but she couldn’t bring her lips to move, the idea of Regina rejecting her scared her.

“I really like to do all of that for you. I really do,” Emma said at last, and smiled. It was the best she could do, the closest. “And I like that you take care of me so much. I… I don’t know what would be of me if I had stayed there. Women? I could work around them, but men…” she shuddered.

Regina left some bills on the table and reached out, taking the girl’s hand after she stood up, and that was how they walked down the streets. “Come, I think we owe the Red Light district a visit, don’t you? I want you to see yourself on this side, baby girl. It might give you a new perspective about yourself.”

“Wouldn’t-” Emma stuttered. “What about the movie?” She squeezed Regina’s hand tighter, and Regina responded by passing the girl’s hand to her other hand, holding it, and passing her now free arm around the girl’s shoulders.

“It’s going to be fine, sweetheart, I won’t let go of you, I promise, mh?” Regina kissed her temple and they continued to walk.

They reached downtown after a twenty-minute walk and Emma walked closer to the woman the nearer the red lights shone, painting everything in cherry and strawberry tones.

“I used to get off the bus in that corner, when I couldn’t use my bike,” she pointed as she practically leaned on the woman. “Just jeans and a tee, and my backpack.”

And now Emma was walking in heels, a pencil skirt, a warm and pretty coat, her hair toned and done in soft curls. Would any of her ex-boothmates recognize her?

“I see,” Regina nodded as they made their way through the parlors, and not long after, Regina reached for her purse and pressed several euros into Emma’s hand, who looked at her with bemusement. “Here, baby, send someone home for the night.”

Emma looked at the money in her hand, then at Regina, and back at the money, then at the windows, at the girls displaying themselves, the same way she had tried to learn with different degrees of failure and success, and then she hugged the brunette, tightly, so tightly.

“You’re too good to be true,” she whispered, kissed Regina’s cheek and walked to a specific window, the one that used to be hers and where Charlotte -Belle- was posing on a chair.

She opened the door, poking her head inside.

“Hey, sweetie,” she smiled. “Remember me?”

“Emma?” The girl grinned, looking up and down at Emma. “Look at you! I heard you were doing well but you are doing _really_ well!”

Emma went to her, hugging her tightly, and then let go and closed the curtains, turning with a grin.

“I’m really very well, my… companion is an amazing woman. She really takes care of me.” She went to the girl and lead her to the divan, the one that used to be hers. “And you? How are you?”

“Oh, I’m just fine, sweetie, you know how it is,” Belle smiled. “What… sorry for asking but what are you doing here? Are you two looking for someone to join you tonight or…?”

“What? No! Regina is not like that,” Emma said, then produced the money Regina had given her and gave them to the cute brunette who had so kindly helped her and Ruby get started in the trade, with tips and advice and even emotional support. That was why Emma had chosen Belle, and because she knew that just like Emma and Ruby, Belle had never been happy doing what she did, as she struggled to support herself and get an education.

“Take this, go home for a few days.”

Belle looked at the money, chuckled, then stopped and looked up at Emma, eyes wide. “Are you serious?”

“Totally,” Emma offered the money again. “Please, take it.”

Belle did and hugged the girl hard.

“Thank you… thank you so much…”

Emma hugged her back. “It’s not me who you have to thank. Oh, want to meet her?” She let go.

“Oh no,” Belle shook her head, “Just… tell her thank you…” she sniffed.

“Okay,” Emma grabbed her hands, squeezing them. “Belle, have you been saving like you said you would? To study?”

“I have,” Belle nodded, “But you know me, it’ll take a while,” she smiled. “Medical school supplies and books are expensive…”

Emma looked at her for long seconds and then opened her purse, producing another thousand -her own “pocket money”- and offered it to the woman.

“This will help with a lot of books.”

Belle smiled wider, warmly and hugged Emma again.

“I always knew you were one of the good ones,” she sniffed, “I knew you were going to make it out of here, sweetie. Thank you so much, you know better than anyone what this means to me.”

Emma nodded, a knot in her throat preventing her from speaking, so she just hugged the girl, promised to keep in touch and left, going to meet Regina.

“You are amazing,” was the first thing she said as she hugged her. “Why did you choose me? There are four hundred girls in this place and it was my life the one you changed.”

“I saw something in your eyes,” Regina said, enveloping the girl in her arms again as they walked out of the district, “I really, really liked it… and you were a bit overdressed, which I also loved.” She chuckled and Emma did too.

“I could never make myself do it, but it was better, I attracted a different audien-” she frowned. “Do you even want to hear this?”

“Of course, baby girl,” Regina kissed her forehead. “I want to hear everything you have to tell me.”

They kept walking with no hurry along the canals.

“Depending on how you dress, it's the kind of clients you attract,” Emma restarted her story. “You aim for the kinds of fetishes you are willing to fulfill. Some girls would dress really young, they attract mostly older men. Some advertise balloons, food fetishes, rough play, communal experiences, that's a fancy way to say threesomes or more,” she chuckled a bit.

“Oh, and bondage, bondage was very sought, but I stayed vanilla. It paid much less but I liked to be able to sit after a night's work,” she chuckled. “But I couldn't subsist only on women, they hire less. I had to take men as well. It was… hard to get used to it. I mean, there definitely are women there who like their job. I used to wish I did too.”

Regina listened to the girl and after a while, stopped her, turning her to face her, hands on her shoulders.

“I’m so sorry you had to force yourself to do that to make ends meet, my love,” Regina said, “But I promise that you’ll never have to again, okay? No matter what happens, I’ll always take care of you, sweet girl. You don’t have to take it from anyone anymore.”

Emma let the words fill her, and she wanted to believe them; the day had been so perfect that she decided she did, and she hugged the woman again.

“Do you know a man called Killian?” Emma asked after several moments of comfort.

“Yes, he and I dated for a while when I was young,” Regina chuckled, then stopped, frowned softly, withdrawing her phone and showed Emma a picture of she and Killian together at some fancy event. “This man?”

Emma nodded. “Yeah, that's _donkey_ alright, well, that is how Ruby called him.”

Regina remembered him mentioning a Rose. She shook her head.

“Tell me about him, darling,” Regina said, finding a quiet spot outside a cafe for them to sit at.

Emma shrugged. “He was our first customer. The one who… helped us to rent the apartment, and buy beds, then he became a regular. He paid well, but had… I'm sorry, he must be your friend. I had been just curious for a while, since Ruby kind of found out you knew each other.”

“He might be my friend, darling, but you are my girl, and I know him very well,” Regina chuckled softly, leaning closer to the girl and whispered. “He was my first…”

“Ouch,” Emma winced. “I mean, he's so big. He was my first too. What a small world…”

“What a small world it is indeed.” Regina winced a bit as well. “So, he paid for your virginity, I’ve heard of this before, and that was how you and Ruby got an apartment and beds?” She chuckled faintly, a bit humorless. “I’m sorry, I think it’s so funny, a forty-year-old American psychologist and a twenty-year-old girl from The Netherlands, both taken for the first time by the same man. Indeed, what a tiny, tiny world it is.”

“Did you enjoy it at least?” Emma asked, tilting her head. “Was he nice to you?”

“Yes, he was, he was very nice. It did hurt,” Regina remembered, “But he made sure I had a good experience. I think he was surprised I was a virgin, I was a bit older you know, and he was used to a different type of woman. I was a good, dorky, Catholic school girl,” This made Emma chuckle. “And then he tried to teach me how to be a little slut,” Regina smirked. “Unfortunately for him, that was the same year I met Mal, and she consumed my days and nights.”

Emma listened as she imagined how it would be to consume Regina's days and nights. Perhaps she would, these days in Finland. She smiled.

“Well, I'm glad it was good for you. Me? I'm glad I'll never take him again, or Ruby,” she chuckled.

“Come sit on my lap, my sweet girl…” Regina smiled warmly, reached out a hand, her voice gentle, and Emma went to her at once. Soft sheets of rain starting to fall over their sun umbrella, and Emma slipped her arms around Regina’s neck, pressed her forehead to the woman’s, and Regina held her, arms snug around her waist.

“Don’t let your past experiences hinder who you are, darling,” Regina smiled softly, sweetly. “One day, that will all be just a smudge on your wall of accomplishments, and perhaps even something to be proud of, you did what you had to do in order to survive, and look at you, you’re beautiful, brilliant, so, so brilliant, and with such a promising future in a wonderful field.”

Emma smiled, eyes closed. “All of it thanks to you,” she kissed Regina’s nose, her lips, and cupped her cheeks, those words bubbling in her mouth. _I love you. I love you._

“I'm so glad to have you in my life. Never leave.” Emma said instead.

Regina gazed into the girl’s eyes and smiled for her, mouthing a soft, _“never…”_

Emma's chest exploded with sheer joy and she crushed the woman to her, tight, so tight.

“Let's go home, lief…”

“Alright, darling,” Regina pushed Emma gently off her lap and then took her hand, away from the Red Light District, towards the white lights.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi All. We have received a lot of amazing feedback for this story, so we thank you for that, especially to those who are still sticking by it and kindly waiting for this long overdue next chapter.
> 
> That being said, rest assured that we'll be posting much more frequently.
> 
> We hope you enjoy this chapter.

             Regina waited near the arrival gate, pacing back and forth as she looked out for Emma, and at last the doors opened and a sea of people came through, amidst them Emma, looking everywhere, until her eyes found Regina, a smile on her lips as she approached her.

“Regina!” Emma threw her arms around her, Regina’s arms instantly wrapping around her waist, hugging her.

“Hi beautiful,” she kissed the girl’s cheek. “How was your flight?” She asked as she took the girl’s luggage from her.

“It was just fine,” Emma said, passing her arm around Regina’s waist as they started walking towards the exit. “I’m excited.”

“Good,” Regina grinned, “It’ll be a great summer, the weather is just starting to get defrosted, and there are plenty of hiking trails and… lakes, and… more hiking trails,” she chuckled. “Saunas…”

“I’m already liking it,” Emma grinned.. “Can’t wait to see your house, and that cottage you told me about. Oh, Regina, are we really going to Lappi?”

“Of course we are,” Regina smiled, leading Emma towards her car and opened the trunk, placing her luggage inside it. “Anything my pretty girl wants, mh?”

Emma’s smile softened, eyes on that face that had become the brightest light in her life. If only she could have it, she’d never let it dim. Never.

“I just want to spend all day with you, do things together we haven’t done. I want… I want this summer to be unforgettable.”

Regina kept her eyes and smile on Emma for a couple of seconds, then unlocked the car, helping her in.

“Are you hungry? Did you eat lunch?” Regina asked once she had started their drive.

Emma shook her head. “Show me the local cuisine.”

“Why don’t we eat at my place?” Regina chuckled, “Unless you think you’ll enjoy moose and salty fish?”

Emma chuckled. “Moose? Hm… maybe I need to be eased into it. Yeah, let’s go to your home.”

“Alright,” Regina said and it was a thirty minute drive from their airport, just outside the city until they arrived, and Regina helped Emma out of the car again. “I’ll have someone come get your stuff later.”

Emma, though, didn’t seem to have heard her, her gaze on the house -mansion!- in front of her. A cobble path started at her feet, leading to a small bridge over a creek and towards a three level house with stone walls, large windows, gable roofs, dormers, and mahogany wood details. Tall, bushy trees flanked it, and she could see a few paths leading to the luscious woods around it.

“Is this… Regina, is this your home?”

“Mh-hm,” Regina nodded, guiding Emma towards the front door and opened it, letting her in, and then removed her jacket. “Would you like a tour now or after lunch?”

“Please,” Emma took off her jacket as well, still looking around with fascination. “Could you show me around?”

“Sure,” Regina chuckled.

And so, she gave Emma a tour of the ample house, and it was just as beautiful as Regina had described. There were seven bedrooms, warmly decorated, the big library which contained all sorts of books, novels, manuals, encyclopedias, and there was a section carefully protected and temperature controlled for first editions, the living room was spacious and comfortable, and the kitchen was large, and had a breakfast nook by the window looking out to a lake, just as the one the brunette had suggested Emma should place in her own home.

Emma observed it all with quiet admiration, asking a few questions about the details she found most interesting, and the echoes of her steps both intrigued and disconcerted her. More than a home, it looked like a museum, though she could say Regina had tried to make it more welcoming with flowers in jars, cushions and throws here and there. They reminded her a bit of her own home in Amsterdam.

Also, now Emma knew where Regina got that special scent of hers. That alluring aroma of sandalwood and old books that was so hers.

“You prepared the house for me?” She turned to the woman, her question soft, a bit shy.

Regina looked at Emma for some moments, some confusion in her eyes.

“I… how do you mean?” Regina’s own voice was tentative.

“Just,” Emma looked around, shrugged a bit. “The flowers, the throws.” She bit her lower lip. “N-nevermind.”

“Come on, let’s go have some tea, and have Marjan prepare something for lunch,” Regina said as she lead Emma out, down the wooden stairs and passed the door to the third story, back down to the kitchen.

“Well, do you like it?” Regina asked, looking at the girl.

“I do, it’s beautiful,” Emma said, giving Regina a little smile. She felt terribly self-conscious though. Asking such a thing, if Regina had readied her home for her visit.

_Damn it, Emma, the woman has a life, a home that she actually lives in and not just visits. She doesn’t live for you. Unlike you._

_Nonsense._

_You know it’s true._

_Shut up._

“Hm?” Emma frowned. “Sorry, did you ask something, Regina?”

“I asked what sort of tea you-” Regina chuckled, “This is weird, I’m sorry. Better tell me what you have been up to,” she said as she filled a kettle with water and brought it to the stove at the island counter, putting it on the fire.

“Well, we have the option to start early practices next year,” Emma said as she sat at a stool by the island. “And chamomile, please.” A small pause. “What’s weird?”

“Having you here,” Regina said, “I’m fighting against the savage hostess that resides within me,” a sided smirk appeared on the brunette’s lips. “If you’d like to start your practices next year, I can make some calls, I have a few colleagues I work with in Amsterdam that I’m sure can help.”

Emma fidgeted with a little figurine. “What do you mean the savage hostess?”

“There was a time when I enjoyed entertaining,” Regina said, “I mean, you and I have spent plenty of time together, I’m fighting all the _welcome to my home, may I take your coat_ pleasantries,” she chuckled.

“You can do all of that, I’ll happily oblige,” Emma winked, then bit her lower lip. “Did you and Mal entertain a lot?”

Regina’s eyes veered for a moment and she nodded.

“When she wasn’t writing, yes,” Regina said, “We had people from all walks at this home, hosted wine tastings, dinner parties, Absinthe nights, it was all very bohemian. She was always the more social one, when she wasn’t being a recluse.”

“Sounds like she enjoyed extremes,” Emma said. “Devouring Austen while being all fierce, recluse and social,” Here and not here.

“Yeah, she was…” a smile adorned Regina’s lips, different than any smile Emma had seen before, one full of mirth and longing, and it did something to Emma’s heart, something that made it twitch and hurt. “An interesting woman. Extraordinarily beloved, and extraordinarily hated, too.”

“Hated?” Emma frowned. “By whom?”

“By people who didn’t take kindly to being told _the truth_ to their faces, according to her,” Regina chuckled, “She was opinionated and loud.”

“Ah,” Emma added a spoonful of honey to her tea. “She must have been an interesting partner in cocktails.” She looked around, her tone meek. “I can’t imagine how much you miss her.”

“Oh, I do,” Regina nodded, “I do miss her,” she sighed, sipping her tea.

“How not to, she sounded fascinating,” Emma said, stirring. That twisty thing in her heart was burying itself deeper. It seemed Mal had been fierce indeed, and brilliant and independent.  Her own woman. What did Emma have in comparison?

“Hey, so, about the practices and the call, don’t worry about it. I… I already found one. I’m starting in October. Nice, hm?”

“Oh,” Regina paused mid sip, then sipped her teacup again, “Oh. Alright, darling. That’s- that’s wonderful,” she finally smiled, brushing back a strand of Emma’s hair, tucking it behind her ear, she had her back against the counter as she stood next to Emma. “You’ll do wonderfully, sweetheart.”

Emma leaned against that touch, catching Regina’s hand with hers. “I will, you’ll see.”

Regina nodded, her fingers moving down to stroke Emma’s cheek bone, and she bit her lower lip, and then her eyes caught movement at the side door, and Marjan, her housekeeper appeared, a disapproving look in her eyes. Emma turned, catching it.

Of course, Marjan had known Mal for as long as she and Regina had been married.

_“When you’re done giving me that look, make some lunch, Marjan,”_ Regina said in Finnish. _“We’ll rot away if this home sits alone waiting for my wife to come back.”_

Regina then smiled at the honey blonde again and helped her off the stool. “Come on, let me show you my lake,” she chuckled.

“Sure, let’s go,” Emma finished her tea in one gulp, jumped off the stool, giving the housekeeper an acknowledging nod. The woman did not return it, so Emma deliberately grabbed Regina’s hand as they walked through the back door.

“But Mrs. Vuur-”

“Mills, Marjan, it’s _Mills_ , and since when do you not call me Regina?” the brunette turned her eyes on the other Finn at last, who gave her a look full of disdain, wiped her hands and left, and Regina hung her head low. “I’m sorry, pretty girl.”

Emma frowned and tightened her hold on the woman.

“What was that about?” Emma didn't have to second guess she hadn't been gladly welcome by the housekeeper.

“Don’t you mind her, baby girl,” Regina mustered a smile and kissed the girl softly, then got up and went to the counter isle and picked up where Marjan had left off after washing her hands. “Come spoil me with your lips while I cook for you, won’t you?” Regina gave her a tiny little smile.

“And the lake?” Emma asked, her voice tentative.

“We’ll go after lunch, mh?” Regina smiled a bit brighter and pecked Emma’s lips.

Emma couldn't help the smile that buried the previous upset. She loved to give Regina attention, she’d do it every waking moment, she wished there was no money marring her kisses.

She went to her and jumped on the isle, her bare feet swinging as she placed an open-mouthed kiss behind the woman's ear.

“This might be dangerous for you, Dr. Mills…” another kiss. “Be careful with that knife.”

“I have highly skilled fingers, my darling,” Regina said smugly, shivering at the contacts, her skin growing goosebumps as she worked on lunch, her body leaning towards the pretty honey blonde on her counter. “Emma… may I ask you a question?”

“Anything,” Emma let her tongue caress the length of her neck.

“Wou-” a soft groan, “Would you consider spending your breaks here with me? I could… I could…” the words tasted bitter, “Of course there would be an incentive… you know, I could…” Regina cleared her throat, her eyes saddening a bit and Emma stopped, withdrew and sat up straight, her smile gone.

And then she produced it again, smaller.

“I already told you I didn't need anything else, so I’ll gladly stay here during my breaks, all of them.” She then looked at the window. “Do you have gardening tools? The sun is coming down and I’d like to plant the bulbs.” Emma jumped off the isle.

“Sure, love,” Regina said, “They’re at the small door at the side of the house.” The brunette’s mood had also sombered.

“Thank you,” Emma said, kissed Regina's cheek and exited through the kitchen door.

 

            While Emma gardened, Regina let her know that she’d be out to buy a few items, kissed her and left her to her own devices. She’d get her a nice, nice present, make her happy again. Regina wished she could make her happy in the way she had made her wife happy, without fearing money was the only way.

She found herself at Killian’s place, knocking on the door.

“Regina,” The man greeted her, affable, and lead her to his living room, requesting two glasses of wine from someone in his staff.

Regina looked around; the man’s home hadn’t changed much since she’d last been in it, really since she had met Killian. The white walls were adorned with framed photographs, and his furniture was set in a way that it faced the fireplace, now off thanks to the arriving warm summer months.

The living spaces were -despite Regina and Killian sharing a similar social bracket- typically smaller than those in Regina’s house, and every corner and wall seemed to be defined by an elegant practicality.

“To what do I owe your visit, little one?” He raised his glass to her.

“I was in the neighborhood, Emma is planting tulips in my garden,” the brunette smiled warmly. “As it turns out, we’ve discovered we lost our virginity to the same man, how small is the world, dearest.”

The man stared at her, his finger flicking over the glass.

“It’s indeed a small world.” He finally drank. “Are you upset?”

“Upset? Let me ask you a question, dear. Can you imagine a significant number of girls who want their first experience to be with a stranger man, twenty-three years their senior? Say… your sister Georgiana? She’s around that age. How about her friends?”

The man veered his gaze, shades flickering on his face.

“However, you had their… very dubious consent, so, the most I can accuse you of is being opportunistic, which is not altogether a bad thing,” Regina sighed, making a vague gesture with her free hand and at last sipped her wine. “However, as a woman, and more specifically as your friend, I’d kindly like to request that you reconsider such practices.”

“What happened with that speech you gave me one day about sexual labor not being different from any other physical form of exploitation on the altars of capitalism?” Killian crossed a leg, set down his wine glass and entwined his hands. “She was getting into the trade anyway. I was told they-” And then the man fell quiet.

Regina studied him, he seemed uncomfortable, as if something had suddenly come back to the forefront of his mind.

“So you may as well be the first, that is a terrible thing, Killian. The only reason these young girls sell their virginity is for an opportunity to escape the conditions of poverty that they live in, do you know what you’ve _bought_ from these girls? Forget their virginity, you’ve _bought_ their first dates, their first time being extra special with a girl or boy they _liked,_ someone more compatible, not with a fatter wallet. As I understand it, you could have found women like, hm, say, _me_ , women you treated respectfully, took to bed because you felt it,” Regina snapped her eyes to his, “You felt it, didn’t you?”

“Of course I felt it,” Killian stood up, hand in his pocket, the other stroking his beard, and then turned to Regina.

“Little one, she’s just a prostitute. Why are you coming to me with this? You can’t try to save every woman that walks into your life. She’s not Mal-”

Regina looked away, that had been a bitter, bitter bite, and oh, it hurt.

She stood up and went to him, pressing the wine glass into his hand. “Fuck. You.”

Regina was swiftly gone.

 

Killian sighed, pressed thumb and index against his eyes and lowered his head.

 

And just as swiftly, she returned.

“If you mean my wife of ten years, who I bowed to fucking care for in sickness and in health, or the _just a prostitute_ girl who, finally given the opportunity, is choosing to pursue a selfless career which will enable her to help others, not unlike herself, then yes, I will try to save every woman that walks into my life. You are fucking worthless, Killian. I can’t believe that you would say that to me just to keep your ridiculously thin walls of frail masculinity.”

The man’s mouth flapped uselessly, and at last remained quiet, gaze cast down again.

“Don’t bother to bring flowers next month, you know, for that woman I tried to save,” Regina turned around, and finally did leave. “In fact, please don’t come to her memorial.”

 

              It took Regina a long while to make it back home. She’d tried to cool off and had managed to contain her seething rage to somewhat manageable anger.

Emma was washing the dirt under her nails when she heard the front door open, and she dried her hands.

“Regina?” She called, her voice a bit loud so it would travel through the spacious house.

The clicks of Regina’s heels were loud, potent, and quick, and within moments, she was next to Emma, grabbing the collar of the girl’s blouse.

“Don’t you _ever, ever_ let anyone define you, not by any negative connotation, always be fucking proud of your fight, Emma, I mean it, what you did was courageous, not something to be ashamed of, whether or not I had been there, you would have made it because you are a strong, brave, beautiful girl, inside and out, with the loyalty of an army. I swear to God, Emma, if I ever see you be sad again, about your past, I will be so angry with you.” Regina’s face was close to Emma’s, her breathing heavy with anger, obviously not towards the honey blonde, whose eyes were big, a hand grasping the one on her blouse, and she nodded, eyes wide.

“O-okay,” Emma nodded again, and then hugged the woman. “Okay,” she repeated. “I promise.”

“Good,” Regina wrapped her arms around the girl tightly, protectively, her chin resting on top of Emma’s head. “You are a human being, with a brilliant mind, and who deserves respect, love, and everything else you want.”

“Then stop thinking you need to offer me more money every time you seek more time with me,” Emma said, face buried on the woman’s shoulder. “Please. It makes me feel...” she shook her head.

“Okay, my lovely girl,” Regina hugged her tightly. “I’m so sorry I upset you.”

Emma sighed, melting in the embrace, and asked.

“What upset you so much?”

“Nothing for you to worry that beautiful mind of yours, mh?” she pecked her lips. “Now, how about I make us something for dinner, pretty girl.”

The girl pulled away, combing her waves behind her ear as she nodded, and then returned to her spot from before on the counter, and observed Regina, kept a soft frown as she restarted the chores from earlier.

“But you're angry. How can I help?”

_“How can I help?”_

_“You do enough,” Mal’s tone was clipped as she did a terrible job slicing the tomatoes for dinner. “There's only so much you can do, Regina. Please stop, you drive me crazy with guilt. It's not as if you could give me your other kidney.”_

_“I just want to make sure you’re comfortable, angel, and that you save your energies for the other things you enjoy” Regina kissed her neck, “I can take care of the silly cooking, but... I’ll give you space.”_

_“It’s fine, I got it.”_

_Mal kept working, her brow furrowed and suddenly she slammed the knife against the chopping table, tomato and lettuce flying everywhere, and she covered her face with a hand, her shoulders shaking at once._

_“I don't want to do it!” Mal sobbed, and Regina was with her at once, at her side, hugging her protectively, hiding Mal’s face in her neck, their long hair an ample curtain of honey and black._

_That was how their life felt, between the days full of red, crimson, from drawing a drop of Mal’s blood every day to test her glucose levels, the daily injections, and the dark, endless nights Regina spent making sure she wouldn’t, well, to make sure she was sleeping fine. Her worst fear was to wake up to a cold, lifeless body._

_“Baby, it will get us so many precious, precious days together, maybe years, maybe we’ll make our tenth anniversary, I know I’m being so selfish but… I need to ask you for this, I don’t want you to leave me, please don’t leave me, Mal…” Regina sobbed._

_Mal sobbed, and then pushed her wife away._

_“More time? In exchange of what?” Mal grimaced. “Of me sitting thrice a week in the hospital so a fucking machine cleans my blood? Because I’m damn toxic inside?” Her gestures were more anguished, her fingers pointed at her own chest. “Because I killed the beautiful, healthy kidney you gave me!? And- and you don’t sleep and waste away with me and I just can’t take it anymore! It’s not fair!”_

_Mal fell to her knees as she hugged her own waist, her fingers scratching the scar at her back._

_“Mal, please,” Regina sobbed, and she was right in front of the woman again, on her knees, grabbing her wife’s hands in her own tightly, her face a wet mess of tears._

_“Don’t give up on me, Mal, please don’t give up on me. We’ve already given up so much, you gave up your love and hunger for life and I gave up my nights and my hopes because of your illness, please don’t give up, I’ll be right there, in that room, every single time, and if I could take this from you, I would, I really would, so I could see you healthy and smiling,” the brunette sobbed out, and it brought nothing but more cries from her wife, who held to her as if her life depended on it. In a way, it did._

_And so they cried, together, for a long, long time, on the kitchen floor._

_“Please don’t leave me, Mal,” Regina sobbed, “Please, angel, just stay with me, just for a little longer, all these years haven’t been enough, I’ll never have you long enough.”_

_Mal’s tears had stopped, her face drying, and after several moments she gave the slightest of nods._

_“Oh god, thank you,” she sobbed, “Thank you,” Regina kissed her face, her forehead, her nose, her cheeks, an eye. Regina’s arms and hands clingy, possessive of the woman, as if by merely holding her she could keep the grim reaper from taking the love of her life away, from taking her own life away. “Thank you.”_

 

“Fuck,” Regina hissed, looking at her bloodied finger, and closed her eyes for a few moments, the sight of blood on her hand, she quickly ran water and let it run over the small wound.

Emma jumped off the counter at once and grabbed a paper towel, then took Regina’s wrist and wrapped the towel around her finger, applying pressure.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yes, I just…” Regina shook her head a bit, “I’ve started to see a therapist, and… sometimes I have these flashbacks,” the brunette explained. “Obviously there are a lot of triggers for them, including this knife,” she chuckled slightly humorless.

“Flashback about what?” Emma cradled the woman’s hand against her chest. “Is that why you came back upset? And you told me those things?”

“Flashbacks about different periods of my life, a lot about Mal,” Regina said the name with reverence, even her tone was delicate when she pronounced her wife’s name. “And no, that’s not why I’m upset, baby girl, I’m upset because today I realized that someone I loved like a brother is nothing to me. Well, worse, _I_ am nothing to him.”

Emma stared at her, then released her hand and checked it, drops of blood spurting still, so she wrapped the finger again and held it in her hand.

“I’m sorry about that. Can’t you work things out with him?”

“No, I don’t want to,” Regina’s eyes became a glare. “He watched me cling to my wife’s body, screaming, begging her to come back,” the brunette’s glare easily changed into a look of anguish, her eyes welling up with tears at the mere memory. “And yet today, he deluded me into a goddamned savior complex, all to protect himself from waking up to his insensitivity and his fuck ups.”

Emma nodded, and for many reasons she couldn’t quite understand, felt sad, utterly sad.

“I’m sorry,” Emma repeated, checking the cut again, as if it was the most important thing in the world.

“You know,” Regina sniffed softly, “You don’t need to be sorry, or even empathetic, beautiful,” she watched the girl care for her cut, patiently wait until all the blood that needed to be spilled would be soaked into the paper towel, and… she couldn’t help it, it had been so, so long since anyone had taken care of her, since someone made sure she was fine, and it was also a scary thing because, Emma was twenty years younger than her, and… god, if this girl ever took Regina in, all the way in, Regina would stop eating meat, she’d start working out, she’d get a check up every six months, because the pain of losing someone so close, so very, very close to your heart, it was beyond unbearable.

“I might not need to,” Emma finally threw away the crimson stained towel and held Regina’s hand high, so it wouldn’t start bleeding again. “But I can’t help it, and I like to take care of you. Do you have a first aid kit around?”

“I do,” she opened a drawer and withdrew it, setting it on the counter and Emma disinfected the cut, dried it and then wrapped it with an adhesive band, and kept looking at it, then at the woman.

“Your wife… you loved her so much, didn’t you? You still love her, right?”

“Of course,” Regina gave a soft, sad smile. “She was the love of my life.”

Emma nodded, lowered her eyes, got a clean knife and kept slicing the now twice abandoned dinner preparations.

“And… and how was your marriage?” Emma kept her gaze on the celery as she sliced it.

“Well,” Regina leaned back against the counter and watched the girl’s face. “It was difficult, at first, we were both so independent, I had too much money for her taste, and of course no decency could come from that,” she chuckled softly, “But… I quickly realized that there was no reason to constantly challenge each other intellectually. Mal, she was brilliant, she was so smart, and although that clever, quick, silver tongue of hers infuriated me, it was also one of the things I loved about her. We got along well, we were…” she nodded a bit, “Very passionate, about our careers, about our lust for life, about each other… it was intense, but we had cooling periods that we both needed. It was good,” Regina nodded. “It was really good.”

The girl nodded, gave Regina a brief smile and started slicing a potato. “Until her sickness…”

“Yeah,” Regina nodded a bit, took a deep breath. “Between my medical career and her illness, I feel that I’ve spent most of my life in hospitals,” she chuckled faintly. “I did my best, Emma… but could I have done more? I… I gave her a kidney, I gave her the best care, I loved her, but as I’m sure she would say, we both wasted away,” Regina cast her eyes down before continuing. “The night she.. the night she passed… it’s the most difficult thing I’ve ever gone through,” Regina’s eyes welled with tears.

Emma put the knife down, her head down, and she simply turned to Regina and hugged her tightly.

“I’m so, so sorry, lief,” she mumbled against her neck. What other words were there to say? None would help, so she just held her, and Regina clung to her, buried her face in her soft, honey blonde hair.

“I think she’d like you, Emma,” Regina sniffed softly. “Mainly because you’re a hardass who used men to get ahead in life,” she chuckled through her tears. “I think you would’ve liked her too. I suppose I like you much more than she would have, baby girl.”

Laughter escaped Emma and she pressed her forehead against Regina’s.

“I saw her interviews, and read a couple of her books… I think I would have liked her too.” then she opened her eyes and tried to focus Regina’s face from their too close position.

“Is that why you’re seeing a therapist? Because it’s hard to move on from such a wonderful woman?”

Regina chuckled softly and hugged the girl, a bit tighter, by the waist.

“It’s hard to get over a future that isn’t coming to pass, it’s hard to find closure when circumstances are so unfair, when the void and the question are too big for mere human mind to answer. It’s hard to not feel guilty about putting our pictures away, clearing her desk, seeing her favorite spot on the couch empty, changing the channel on the TV from her favorite station, getting her favorite albums out of the player. It’s not so much that it’s hard to let go of her presence, but it’s hard to let go of the emptiness, do you understand?”

Emma nodded vehemently as she pulled away a few centimeters, staying in the woman’s hold.

“I do, I do understand. Especially if there is nothing to fill that void for years, and years and years,” she bit her lips. “Until something, or someone finally does.”

Regina nodded softly.

“And you start to make space in your life,” Regina gave Emma a soft smile.

Emma returned the smile and Regina’s gaze became transfixed for a few moments. The silence was electrified.

“Let’s finish dinner, shall we? I’m starving, and you must be too, with all that hard work you did out in the garden.”

“Oh, yes!” Emma pecked the woman’s lips before letting go of her and went back to her vegetables.

Regina chuckled and started to work on the chicken, even played some music out of her cell phone and, finally, something she had refused to understand before began to make sense.


End file.
